Shattered
by GuardofLiberty
Summary: Miriam's life has become even sadder these past two years. Her smoothies have been her constant companions. However, after a life-threatening episode prompts an unplanned reunion with her estranged daughters, she finally realizes she needs help. But can she get it in an environment where one daughter is actively hostile and she's constantly reminded of her failures as a mother?
1. Day and Night

**It's been quite a while since I've written here, but I recently watched some old _Hey Arnold!_ episodes, _Road Trip_ in particular, and the energy for this story was just there. I also want to practice writing scenes covering different emotional situations that I don't usually use in my work, so this might help.**

**This story follows on my previous one, _Savior,_ so it's highly recommended that you read that one first. _Savior_ came out on this site before the release of _The Jungle Movie_, so some things might be a bit different. I will incorporate the canon of TJM into this as much as possible.**

**I expect future chapters to be much shorter. This one needed to be long to set the proper pace and show the current fortunes of the Pataki family members.**

**Be sure to tell me what you think. Bonus points if you guess the references to characters from a certain popular sports manga.  
**

* * *

"Ah criminy, Olga, do you really need to listen to this lame Christmas music in the morning?!"

Helga Pataki groaned. Even after nearly two years of living with Olga, many of her habits were still annoying, and Christmas was the time of year where her inherent perkiness reached its apogee. Right now, an incredibly upbeat, girly version of "Frosty the Snowman" was on blast downstairs.

"I'll tell you what, Helga!" Olga called up to her sister from the kitchen. "If you can go one day without saying something about that boxing match, I won't have the music on as much!"

Olga was teasing her. Helga couldn't help but chuckle. It was a bet she'd lose. She'd been looking forward to that match for months, ever since it was announced that summer, and now it was only a week away! It was the controversial, wild WBC Junior Middleweight Champion, Bryan Hawk, taking on top contender Mamoru Takamura, a man who was undefeated with 16 consecutive knockouts and who had exploded onto the world boxing stage from a country not normally known for such things, Japan. How could she _not_ get excited about the match?! There was _no way_ she couldn't talk about it!

So that meant she'd have to listen to Olga's music. Oh well.

"I thought so!" Olga teased some more in reaction to the silence.

Criminy again, Helga thought. She must have gotten lost in her excitement about the match for longer than she imagined.

"By the way, I think you should come down here already! Breakfast is ready and there's a surprise for you!"

That got Helga's attention. She now moved at double-time to make her final preparations for the day.

She looked at herself in the mirror. She sure did look different compared to when she first moved into this house. For one thing, she had gotten a lot taller. She was gaining on Olga in height now, and would probably be taller than her big sister in another couple of years. It was a surreal thought.

Though she still kept her pigtails, they fell diagonally downward, toward her shoulders, instead of sticking straight out like when she was younger. Her trademark bow was also still an everyday part of her ensemble, but she sometimes wore a blue cap over it, and she wore jeans these days with a pink and white shirt instead of a long pink dress.

Most significantly, she had gotten rid of the unibrow that had once been her calling card at P.S. 118.

She'd at first been reluctant to do it, but Olga had told her she would look better, and as annoying as that reason had been, she couldn't argue with the result. She was in 7th grade now. Middle school was just a different animal, and the man she respected most in all the world had told her that, like it or not, appearances would start mattering more from this point onward.

Then there was also the fact that the unibrow was beginning to remind her of her father, a man she hated like the gates of death. She never wanted to think about her old life again, and so it eventually became easy to discard. It was one more way of fully embracing the progress she had made over the past two years.

Helga swayed her torso, looking herself over in the mirror one more time. Certain...parts were filling out, slowly, but surely, a little more each month. She remembered when the big "event" finally came in September. Despite all the education she'd gotten on the subject, the onset had brought more than its fair share of confusion. Thankfully, Olga had been completely attentive and supportive, and that brought with it its own relief. She couldn't imagine how she would have dealt with it if she were still living in that old, unwelcoming house.

Satisfied with how she looked, Helga went downstairs, eager to see what this surprise was, although she actually _smelled_ it before she saw it. Once down in the foyer, a certain piny scent started to waft through her nostrils. Then she turned into the living room and saw it. It was huge! It must have been at least eight feet!

"Do you like it?"

Helga snapped her head to the left to see her sister standing on the threshold of the kitchen, warmly smiling at her.

"We brought it in last night, after my show. You were already asleep when we got back home." She explained, walking over toward Helga and looking up at the tree. "I know I've been a bit of a pain with all the home decorating these last couple of months..." She turned back to Helga and put a hand on her shoulder.

"Yep! You sure do love micromanaging things!" Helga smirked sarcastically, cutting her sister off. "Only the office, the gym, and my room have been spared from your whirlwind! Are you sure you like this gig as a pianist for the philharmonic and the opera? I think you'd rather spend your time making everyone's houses as perky as you are!"

"Well..." Olga smiled. "We bought this big tree to make it up to you. This year, it's yours to decorate however you like."

"Thanks, Olga." Helga smiled and hugged her sister warmly. Olga returned it with just as much affection. "Although..." She finally trailed.

Olga looked down at her quizzically as Helga suddenly grabbed her left hand.

"Ever since he put this big rock on your finger, I'm surprised you can decorate anything at all. How do you lift anything else without falling over?" She grinned.

Olga smiled and rolled her eyes as Helga continued examining it. The colorless, flawless, 2.00 carat, princess cut diamond sat atop a shimmering 18 karat white gold ring. Helga had even overheard the proposal back in October. It was so characteristically _him_.

* * *

_* Flashback *_

_Olga woke up. No sooner did she rub the sleep from her eyes and reach over to the nightstand than she felt a small, velvet box. The new sensation quickly dispelled whatever grogginess lingered over her. Automatically, she opened the box and saw the ring. She gasped, looking it over, like she wasn't sure what to do with it._

_"Are you gonna put it on?"_

_She jolted her head upward to see him there, leaning against the threshold of the master bathroom, smirking. He was wearing only his trunks, partially to taunt her with his tall, muscular frame. Olga knew him well enough by now to understand that. It always worked._

_"Is that your idea of a proposal?" She giggled, incredulous, not yet quite fully conscious of what was happening.  
_

_"C'mon Olga, you know I'm not the type to get on one knee." He sauntered over, lifting her off the bed by her hands. "The way I see it, begging would only devalue our relationship, because we're together in the same place right now. There's not many things we can be certain of in this world, but I want you there with me as my partner on the rest of the voyage. With you there, there won't ever be a day where there isn't something wonderful to see, because no matter how cloudy the sky might get, or how rough the seas might tremble beneath the ship, I'll have the most beautiful sight right by my side. All I need do is look at you. No treasure will ever be more precious than the woman I love right there with me, in union with one heart and one mind. "_

_Olga giggled more as her eyes began to leak. "Is that something inspired by Virgil?"_

_"Homer, actually." He said as he enfolded her in a hug and looked down into her eyes. "So, are you in or not?"_

_"Yes." Olga answered without hesitation. Then, when the full reality of the situation finally washed over her, she answered again even more emphatically. "Yes!"_

_Her leaky eyes developed into full-fledged crying and her body convulsed in happy sobs as he slid the ring on her finger. Then, he swept her up into a hug and kissed her. Finally, when the kiss was over and he was rubbing her convulsing back, a certain someone else heard him calling._

_"I know you're out there, Helga!" He taunted. "Come on in and give the bride-to-be a hug!"_

_Helga burst through the door with a wide grin. Wordlessly, she nearly tackled her sobbing sister in an embrace._

_* End Flashback*_

* * *

"Don't you have anything better to do than look at my ring?" Olga asked sarcastically.

"Sure, I can talk about the Hawk vs. Takamura fight! Just in case you thought I was turning into a bubbly girly girl!" She quipped back and let go of her sister's hand.

"Ugh, that boxing match again!" Olga rolled her eyes. "Go eat your breakfast before it gets cold."

Wordlessly, Helga walked into the kitchen, smirking to herself. The wedding would be in May. Olga had already told her that she would be one of the bridesmaids. Much as she hated to admit it, she was excited, and getting more so. Still, she had a reputation to keep, and she'd done a decent job of it just now.

She moved toward the steaming omelette and hash browns her sister had made. The omelette had chopped tomatoes and parsley in it. She poured herself some orange juice and began eating alongside Olga.

"So, when are Henry and Penelope and aunt Cecily supposed to get here?" She asked.

"Five days." A powerful male voice rumbled through the room in answer.

The Pataki sisters turned toward the living room. Helga broke out into an admiring grin. She couldn't help it when she first saw him every day, especially when he was dressed like this.

Louis Burbon entered the kitchen, wearing a custom-made grey suit which was accompanied by a gold tie and matching pocket square. He donned light brown Armani shoes to go with the suit. His trademark silver belt buckle, cut in the shape of the sun with a human face, finished the ensemble. His skin gleamed. His black hair shined to bring out the best of his mirthful green eyes. He looked like a king, as usual.

Olga jumped up to hug and kiss him before he took his seat alongside her and began to eat.

"Henry's still on duty at Coronado." Louis explained. "He technically won't get leave until the day he comes. So he's cutting it a little close, but don't worry, as you've no doubt figured out by now, he'll be here to watch the fight with us."

"Yes!" Helga beamed and pumped her fist.

"Oh no Louis, not you, too!" Olga objected, though with a smile, as they continued eating. "As soon as he gets here, you guys are gonna do nothing but work out and talk about that boxing match, aren't you?" She was being sarcastic, though only slightly.

"C'mon Olga, this is a big fight." Louis sarcastically wagged his finger at her. "And besides, Helga's really excited about it."

"Yes, Helga is!" Helga agreed.

"We're also putting up with your perky Christmas music day and night, including as we speak, aren't we?" He challenged, with that cocky smirk that she found irresistible.

"I guess..." Olga sighed with a dreamy smile as the music rushed into her ears. Now, it was "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer," again sung in an upbeat, bubbly manner.

"So..." Helga grinned, deciding to tease her sister a little more. "...I hear rumors that Takamura's weight management is...psyche!" Her grin grew as Olga looked ready to fade out of the conversation. "How far along is Penelope now? It's gotta be coming up soon. How's that for weight management, huh?"

"Seven months." Olga answered with a relieved smile. "The last time I talked to her, she was making acidic remarks about her swollen belly, but she's really excited about becoming a mother."

"Mom's even more excited about the baby." Louis interjected. "She's over the moon about becoming a grandma. And Henry? He's been keeping pretty quiet about it, but you can tell he's beaming with pride. Last time I saw him, he was containing his excitement, but just barely. He's even a little nervous, which is shocking, but I guess being a dad will be one place in the world even he hasn't been to yet. It's even weird on my part thinking about it. Soon, real soon, I'll be an uncle."

Helga smiled as she watched Olga grab his hand and give it an affectionate squeeze. The two looked at one another lovingly for a moment. No doubt, the imminent birth of Henry and Penelope's son was making them think of their future, too. Instinctively, they both probably saw the aunt and uncle thing as being a training program.

Yes, these two years had been the greatest of her life, but the one to come would be even greater, even bigger for her and her family. Henry, her hero's hero, was about to become a father with his beautiful wife, and she would become an aunt of sorts. Soon after that, her lovable, even if still somewhat annoying, sister was going to get married to the man she admired the most, who she credited with turning her life around.

He'd turned her sister's life around, too. As eager as she'd been to leave her old life entirely behind, Olga was equally so. Though she wasn't as prickly about it, Helga knew that her sister was counting down the days until she would officially become Olga Burbon and drop the Pataki name, and with it, the remaining connections to her own turbulent past, where she was expected to be nothing but a perfect, obedient doll that performed on command. That was Olga Pataki. Olga Burbon was and would be a happier, more complete woman.

Olga, of course, was becoming more renowned as a pianist. She was now one of the star attractions of the city's philharmonic and opera scenes. Louis, meanwhile, was building a reputation for himself as one of the savviest media guys in Hillwood, and indeed, the entire Pacific Northwest. With that, and his continued operations in New England, his business was growing fast. He was, quite simply, becoming "the guy" to go to if you wanted good press and advertising for your business. In fact, he was about to go to a meeting and close another major deal to round out the year.

For her part, Helga would be turning 13 in March. The thought of it fell in that awkward grey zone between exciting and terrifying. She was about to become a teenager. It shouldn't matter, Helga thought, but she knew it did. It would be a significant occasion, one which signified that she was entering a very different phase in life, leaving childhood behind.

In the meantime, she had joined her school's track and field team, and was doing well on it. At the last major event of the year, in November, she had won bronze in the 200 meter dash, and silver in the 100 meter hurdle event, though that one nagged her. If only her timing had been just a bit better...

"Helga, it's almost time!" Olga interrupted her reverie. "You better finish up and get to school!"

Helga looked up at the clock. She began to eat faster. Middle school was different, but she was navigating the work well. Her talents as a writer were also becoming more widely recognized. In fact, she'd been invited to participate in a citywide poetry contest, to take place right around the time of the wedding.

Most happily of all, her relationship with Arnold...if one could call it that...was...progressing? Either way, she was bursting at the seams with joy whenever she thought about it. She'd never show it at school, but she was on cloud-nine. She couldn't wait until May. Arnold would be her date to the wedding! Perhaps it would be a preview of their own...

"Ohhhh!" She held her hands up to her cheeks in a swoon as she finished her food.

"Helga?"

Reality smacked her in the face as she automatically snapped her head to the right. Louis was staring at her incredulously. She slowly sneaked her head a little closer and saw that Olga was giving her the same expression.

"What are you two staring at?!" She growled and narrowed her eyes. Her frowns weren't as intimidating without the unibrow. She knew it. But still, she tried her best, and usually succeeded.

The two of them chuckled at her and exchanged a knowing glance. Helga sheepishly rubbed her head as the sudden tension slowly melted.

"Your lunch is in the fridge." Olga informed Helga, who nodded as she got up from the table.

"Did you pick up my winter coat from the cleaners? Helga asked her sister as she opened it and pulled out her lunch box.

"Yes. It's in the closet by the front door."

"Thanks."

"Helga, hold on a minute. It's cold today. I'll give you a ride." Louis said as he finished his breakfast.

Helga's face lit up as he got up from the table and walked into the foyer with her.

"Olga, you have another show to do tonight, right?" Helga asked as she and Louis turned back to look at her while putting their coats on.

"Yes, but you have your appointment with Dr. Bliss after school anyway, right?"

"Yeah, so I'll be back a little later than usual." Helga replied as she slung her backpack on.

"Alright, I might be gone by the time you get back, but dinner will be ready. All you guys will need to do is heat it up!" She said as she came over to give Louis a hug and kiss. "And good luck to you, too." She gushed while gazing up into his eyes.

"Thank you, Olga, and I want you to remember something..." He said while looking at her with a seductive glint.

"What...?" She asked dreamily.

"My prediction for the fight is that Bryan Hawk will retain his title in eight rounds."

"UGH!" She groaned and dropped her head in her hands as Helga burst out laughing.

Helga rushed over to give Louis a high-five. She couldn't help it. That one was good.

Louis grinned as he looked over himself in the mirror one more time, checked his phone, grabbed a loosleaf binder which contained the facts and figures behind his latest business proposal, and opened the door.

"Hawk in eight rounds, huh?" Helga asked him almost disappointingly as the cold wind howled through the door and chilled Olga's skin.

"Well, yeah, because basically..."

The door closed. Olga instinctively smirked and shook her head, slowly, from side to side as she watched them go and heard the sound of Louis' car. The metallic blue corvette, its roof closed, pulled out of the driveway and roared off. She sighed happily as "Silver Bells" trickled through the otherwise calm air.

* * *

"AW FOR CRIPES SAKES, MIRIAM! GET UP!"

"HUH? WHA?" Miriam Pataki yelped as her eyes suddenly snapped open. In her hasty movements, she knocked one of the three nearby empty glasses off the counter and onto the floor of the kitchen, or at least what made for one in the dilapidated store that still bore the name _Big Bob's Beepers_. "Wha...what's happening?" Miriam finally asked as she finished fumbling with her glasses.

"NOW LOOK WHAT YOU'VE DONE!" The shattered glass on the floor only made Robert "Big Bob" Pataki more irritable. "I'm trying to run a beeper empire here, Miriam! I can't do it with you drooling all over the place and making messes! Now clean this up and go fix the displays in the window! And make it snappy!"

"B...you just know I'm not good in the morning..." Miriam slowly mumbled as she stared at the puddle of drool on the counter. Her head was splitting.

"Everything needs to be perfect! We're well into the Christmas season and we need to make the most of it! Just one good season I tell you... One good season and we'll bounce right back!"

"Uh...huh..." Miriam noised without thought or expression.

"Good. Now, I have to go pick up the latest batch of inventory from the warehouse. After you're done with the displays, I want you to go outside and get some office supplies. I've got the list here."

Bob handed Miriam a sheet of paper which she didn't look at and barely held onto. Her eyes slowly shifted to him as he left and went outside. Then they shifted back to the countertop. She still wasn't looking at the paper. Finally, Miriam put it down and went outside to get the mail. The mailbox was stuffed.

She went back inside and dumped the usual bills, which had been piling up, on the counter, but something strange caught her eye. The Arts & Culture section of the _Hillwood Daily_ bore the image of a face she hadn't seen in nearly two years.

Her daughter.

She was positively ebullient, clutching a large bouquet of flowers close to her body. Because of the way she was holding the flowers, the shining object on her left ring finger was easy to spot.

Miriam's eyes finally picked up speed as she dropped the paper on top of the note Bob had given her. The picture had been taken after one of the performances of the philharmonic last week. The concert was a special one meant to "celebrate the recent engagement of Olga Pataki."

Now her eyes widened just a little bit. Her baby was getting married.

Miriam turned the page. There, she saw another photo. Olga was posing with a much younger girl who was wearing a pink gown and who's blonde hair was done up. She had to blink a few times to recognize her. The lack of a unibrow and her slowly maturing frame at first made it difficult, but that was none other than Helga.

Her other baby was growing up.

Finally, her eyes fixed on another picture.

_Him_.

He was dressed to the nines in a classic black tuxedo with a shawl lapel. It was obviously custom-made, doing the most to bring out his broad shoulders. Louis Burbon, the groom-to-be. Olga's arm was wrapped around his. She was happy as can be.

In yet another picture, Helga was with them, beaming. Miriam had never seen her giving off such a radiant smile.

His words from that night, now almost two years ago, flooded back into her still-groggy mind:

_"Listen, I don't think the two of you are inherently bad people. I just think you're very misguided, but your flaws are seriously hurting both of your daughters, who I actually care about. So I'm stepping in to end it. Until you can prove to me that you can truly love your daughters and be positive influences in their lives, I'm getting them out of here, and you won't be seeing them."_

He'd kept true to those words. And what had changed with her and Bob? The only change was that things had gotten worse. Bob was more irritable than ever, especially now that the business had fallen on hard times. Even though he had been selling them before, he hadn't been able to adapt to the pace of change with the cell phone technology that was quickly wiping out the need for most people to use beepers. The stress this created only made him more excitable in his business decisions. As a result, the one bedrock that she still had, the affluence of her upper middle class lifestyle, had vanished. Now look where she was - living in this store, with the constant barks:

_"Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey! I told you to put that stack of beepers in the right window, not the left!"_

_"Criminy! I said that you should put the bleepin' sign up right over the doors! Not in the windows!"_

_"AW, MOTHER SCRATCHER, MIRIAM, CAN'T YOU DO ANYTHING RIGHT?!"_

It all reminded her of another thing _he_ had said on _that night:_

_"You know girls, it really is a shame...that someone so successful should have such poor manners."_

In the two years since, the "successful" part had dropped from the equation.

Miriam closed the newspaper and simply let her chin rest on her fist. He had been right. Her girls were better off away from here, away from them. Those pictures she had just seen were even more proof positive. There was no use feeling anything about it. The facts were the facts. She could do nothing about them. She had her smoothies to make things better though, at least for a little while. They'd become an even greater presence in her life these past two years. They were her constant companions, the ones she turned to for comfort. They never failed.

She'd go out and get the office supplies. What else did she have to do? But she would make a smoothie first. A very powerful smoothie.

The tobasco was right at her side. Now she just needed her blender and the large bottle of Smirnoff she had in the cabinet underneath her. She began to blend. She cracked open the Smirnoff. How much to blend? She'd play it by ear. She just needed to keep pouring.

When it was all done, Miriam felt better, at last ready to run Bob's errand. She went outside, but everything was a blur after that. She certainly didn't feel anything after blacking out and collapsing on the sidewalk, hitting the pavement hard.


	2. Rose-Colored Glasses

"The patient has a blood alcohol content of 0.42. Breathing and heart rate are both impaired!" One of the nurses shouted as the unconscious woman was wheeled into the emergency room.

"Alright, make sure she's oxygenated through the nose as we begin to pump! Let's get an IV to stabilize the heart rate! And give us some space! I want this area cleared!" The lead doctor ordered.

"The patient's name is Miriam Pataki." One of the nurses outside the operating area declared as she looked over the identification found in the woman's purse. "Let's take a look at her records and see who we can call."

Another nurse nodded and went outside the room to pull up her file. Miriam Pataki. Age: 49. Spouse: Robert.

Immediately, she picked up the phone and dialed the number.

"Big Bob's Beepers here. Big Bob Pataki speaking." A gruff voice came through the receiver.

"Mr. Pataki? I'm calling from Western Hillwood Hospital..."

"Great! Are you looking to buy beepers in bulk?!" The voice excitedly interrupted.

"Uh...no...actually, we're calling because..."

"If you don't want to buy anything, then don't waste my time!" He snarled.

"But Mr. Pataki, you don't understand! We're calling because your wife, Miriam..."

"Look, I'm running a business here! I already sent Miriam out and she already messed up by not fixing the beeper displays! I don't have time for this!"

The nurse's jaw dropped when the receiver suddenly blared with a low buzz, going lifeless. It wasn't the analogy she needed to hear right now. "I can't believe this..." She rubbed her head. "The guy hung up on me!"

The other nurses and hospital staff in the area fell silent, not believing the story they had just heard. Instantly, the place went gloomy, as the faint sound of the doctors and nurses still working on Mrs. Pataki in the operating area filtered through their ears.

"...Does she have any other relatives we can call...?" Another nurse finally blurted out.

"Let me check..." She responded as she filtered deeper into Miriam's records. "The patient has two daughters, Olga and Helga. Helga, the younger one, is still a school-aged girl, but the elder..."

"...You mean Olga Pataki, the pianist?" Another nurse asked.

"None other." She responded. "We should try giving her a call."

"Come to think of it, remember that story in the paper the other day? Olga Pataki had her engagement concert, but there was no mention of her parents at all. Could something be up between them?"

"I guess we'll find out soon enough..."

* * *

Olga Pataki hummed along with the sound of "Let It Snow" as she put up some more Christmas decorations in the foyer. The tree was Helga's, but she'd made no such promise elsewhere around the house! She'd just wrapped the staircase banister in holly, ivy, and multi-colored lights. The music was cranked up to 11 now that Louis and Helga were out. Best of all, she got to dance to her heart's content!

It was certainly a guilty pleasure. If either of them saw her doing what she was doing now, they'd never let her hear the end of it.

A phone call interrupted the rapture. Olga practically hopped into the living room and turned down the music before answering.

"Hello?" She asked cheerfully.

"May I speak with Olga Pataki?"

"Speaking!" She chimed.

"Hi, I'm calling from Western Hillwood Hospital. It's about your mother."

Olga's face drooped. It was as if a black cloud had instantly closed around the room, transforming all the cheer of the day into dread in a snap.

"Oh..." Olga trailed as she fumbled with the remote and finally turned off the music. "What...what happened?"

"She collapsed on the sidewalk this morning and was rushed into the emergency room. She'd had...way too much to drink. That's putting it lightly."

"Is she...?!"

"We're doing the best we can." The nurse cut her off. "I think we managed to avoid the worst, but I can't promise anything yet. I'm sorry to trouble you with this. I know this isn't the way you wanted to spend your Holidays. We tried calling your father, but he wouldn't listen to a word we said. We couldn't keep him on the phone long enough because..."

"I know. I know _exactly_ what he did." Olga responded curtly, surprising herself in the process. Immediately afterward, a blast of fear that had been dormant for two years stabbed her in the heart like an icy dagger. Her legs got wobbly and she collapsed on the couch.

"Ms. Pataki?" The voice on the other end of the line buzzed. "Ms. Pataki are you still there?"

"...Yes, I'm still here." Olga answered as a few tears began leaking from her eyes.

"...OK. Would you...want to come here and see her?"

"I guess...but...please don't call my father again." Olga requested, as if on autopilot. "...I...can't be in the same room with him, at least not without my fiancé there...and even then..."

"...I think I understand, Ms. Pataki." The voice audibly smiled on the other end. "We won't call him. I appreciate your coming over. I'll let you know of any developments as soon as you get here."

"Thank you." Olga sighed and hung up, drooping her head into her hands. In a minute or so, she looked up. Just across from her, strewn about on the coffee table, were various pictures of her, Louis, and Helga. One of them stood out. It had been taken this past Fourth of July, when the three of them went to the Burbon family home in Maine for a summer reunion. There they stood, with Cecily, Henry, and Penelope, happy as can be. In another, larger one, Louis' aunt, uncle, and cousins were all there with them.

Olga smiled and picked up yet another one. Helga was standing there with Henry, who towered over her, and teasingly put his fist on her head as if to give her a noogie. She looked ecstatic.

Olga remembered the first time they'd both met the mythical Henry, over Thanksgiving of the previous year. It had been an amazing experience. Helga had bragged to everyone at school for weeks that she'd gotten to "shoot guns with a real life Navy SEAL." Olga hadn't been as enthusiastic about that, but she had finally gotten to meet the man that had done so much for Louis and deliver her thank you.

Everything had only gotten better since then.

There was another picture from that summer which now caught her attention. She and Louis were on the beach at night. Her arm was linked in his and her head was on his shoulder as they looked up at the fireworks. It was so romantic! Louis hadn't been pleased with his mother taking the picture without their knowledge, but she was grateful for it!

Olga put it down and finally stood up, taking the time to look at another picture directly in front of her. On the wall behind the big screen TV hung a portrait of a man wearing a faded blond periwig and a red velvet jeweled suit. A tricorne hat sat on a nearby table as he posed, holding a ceremonial baton.

Louis Henri de Bourbon, Louis' direct ancestor and the founder of the American Burbon family tree. It was a replica of the original that still hung in the Burbon family home, 300 years after it was painted. Louis had it made because he "wanted to remember his roots and carry them forward with pride."

Olga snapped her head backward. Above the entrance to the kitchen hung another portrait, a replica of Louis Henri's father, King Louis XIV himself.

Now she began to cry and sob. There were so many reminders of Louis' family around this house, and with the important exception of Helga, none of hers. That was understandable. She _was_ about to become a Burbon, after all. Still, a wave of guilt crashed over her and threatened to drag her out to sea. Had she, in her zeal to move on from her old life, become neglectful of her _biological_ family members? Her mother certainly needed help. That was even more obvious now, but it wasn't like it hadn't been before. Had she been neglectful and irresponsible? Had she been too willing to follow Louis in casting them aside?

Were these two years of bliss actually just another example of her trying to ignore problems and look at the world through rose-colored glasses?

Olga tearfully put her coat on and walked outside. The cold wind battered her, stinging her teary face. She didn't even know what she was thinking. She was basically just on autopilot. She would need to face this crisis bravely and get to the bottom of it.

She got in her car and drove toward the hospital. Her heart was jolting, gripped by fear. What would she say? And that was the _best_ case scenario.

What if she _wouldn't_ be able to say anything?


	3. You Need Help, Mommy

Olga got to the hospital about 20 minutes after leaving the house. Her mind was still blank. None of her usual upbeat music had accompanied the car ride. She thought of nothing as she was ushered outside of her mother's room. Even the fear of the worst had taken a backseat to the confusion that was racing from her heart and through every capillary of her body. She simply sat on a chair in the hallway and waited, her chin in her hands. She still couldn't even believe that she was there.

"Miss Pataki?"

The voice finally blew away the fog hanging over her mind. She turned around and saw a woman in a white coat heading toward her. The world suddenly regained its color, even if that color consisted of the dull floors and white walls of a hospital.

"Yes?" Olga got up.

"Hi, I'm Doctor Amara." The woman greeted.

"How is she?" Olga immediately asked.

"She's stable now. We also managed to avoid permanent brain damage from this episode."

Olga breathed a heavy sigh of relief.

"However, I really need to talk to you about...other things."

"Other things?"

The doctor sighed. "Your mother came in here with a blood alcohol level of 0.42. She was _really_ lucky. If she'd drank just a bit more, or if she collapsed in a place where no one could have called for help...she might not have made it."

"I see..." Olga replied as her eyes started leaking again.

"There's more." Doctor Amara continued. "We had to pump a lot of alcohol from her stomach. More concerning...your mother's liver resembles that of a 65-year-old liver cancer patient. She's also showing signs of potentially developing Alcoholic Cirrhosis in her liver."

"Alcoholic...Cirrhosis?"

"That's a condition where the liver develops permanent scarring due to heavy, frequent drinking. Put simply, the scarring begins to kill off and replace healthy tissue, leading to a high possibility of liver failure. Death is also a possibility."

Olga groaned as her head once again collapsed into a hands. Her face reddened. Tears piled up in her palm.

"I'm sorry to be the bearer of more bad news, especially at this time of the year, Miss Pataki, but your mother's brain isn't in good shape, either."

"Go on..." Olga sighed. Stiffening herself and regaining eye contact with the doctor.

"Your mother is in the early stages of Alcoholic Dementia. Quite simply, her brain is beginning to resemble that of an elderly patient suffering from dementia-related illnesses."

Olga groaned again. Her knees felt weak.

"So, this is why I wanted to ask you a few questions. Have you noticed any drastic changes in her behavior recently?"

"I can't answer." Olga sighed and wiped away tears. "We've been...estranged."

"Oh..." Doctor Amara trailed.

"Will she be OK, doctor?"

"For now, Miss Pataki." She answered. "But OK is relative in this case. If she doesn't stop drinking - and soon - she's going to develop irreversible brain and liver damage. Now, I'm going to do some more checking on the patient. I'll let you know when more news develops."

Olga collapsed back into her seat as the doctor walked away. Her first thought was to call Louis. She needed him, but she knew for certain that he was still in his meeting, and decided against it. She was in no mood to read any of the magazines nearby, either, so she just sat there, blanking out again. She didn't know how much time had passed before hearing a voice.

"Miss Pataki?"

Olga jolted back into consciousness once again to see a nurse standing in front of her, looking down with a warm smile on her face.

"Your mother is awake. You can go see her now."

"Thank you." Olga responded and got up, walking toward the indicated room.

Now her heartbeat raced at mach five and her legs felt like they were submerged at the bottom of the ocean while carrying two ton weights. She didn't know how she was walking, or breathing for that matter, her breath was that short. Finally, she emerged in the drab room, illuminated by sterile, fluorescent lights.

"Mrs. Pataki." Doctor Amara beckoned Miriam. "There's someone here to see you." She smiled and looked toward the entrance of the room.

Miriam's eyes widened slowly and she turned her head equally slowly in the direction the doctor was looking at. When she got there, a gleam returned to her eyes and her lips sluggishly curled up into a warm smile.

"Oh...Olga...hi honey!" She slurred faintly and weakly.

Olga began crying again, uncontrollably this time. She hadn't seen that face in nearly two years and now she looked so pale and frail.

"Mommy!" Olga blurted out and ran over to her bedside, getting on her knees to look her right in the eyes. She threw her arms around Miriam and began to convulse in sobs.

Doctor Amara smiled and left the room.

"It's alright, honey..." Miriam smiled and returned the hug, mustering a lot of effort to do so. "My smoothies today were just a little bit stronger than they should have been. It's no big deal..."

Now Olga broke the hug and frowned, staring directly at Miriam with an expression that startled her. Olga knew that her mother had never seen her look at her so angrily.

"No big deal?! _You could have died, mommy_!" Olga lectured as angry tears poured down her cheeks. "Mommy, I spoke with your doctor when I first got here. She told me your brain and liver are in bad shape and will be permanently damaged if you don't change quickly!"

"Oh honey, don't worry about it! They say stuff like that all the time!" Miriam said in a lighthearted tone.

"NO, MOMMY!" Olga's face now grew red-hot, making Miriam gasp in shock. "You need help, mommy! Admit it!"

"..." Miriam was speechless as her eyes shifted to and fro. Finally, she spotted it - Olga's engagement ring. The diamond's sparkle seemed like the only thing actually brightening the room. Miriam's lips quivered when the light from the diamond flashed in her eyes. Finally, the tears came, and they came in a torrent, surpassing Olga's own waterworks.

"Mommy?"

"Oh, Olga..." Miriam trailed. "I guess I just saw that story in the paper with you and Helga in it, that whole 'engagement party' thing, and I just...well...I can't really find the words, honey... This isn't the way I wanted to see you for the first time in almost two years. I'm sorry..."

Those last two words hit Olga like a ton of bricks. She'd never heard them before in her household. Ever. Now Olga rushed to her mother and hugged her again, with Miriam returning it more strongly this time.

"What happens now?" Olga finally asked after parting from her mother.

"Well...the doctor said they'll be keeping me overnight as a matter of routine. And after that I guess I'll just go home and..."

"Oh mommy, you can't go back there!" Olga pleaded. "I know what's happened since...well, that night, and even if it didn't..."

"...But what else is there?" Miriam asked almost absent-mindedly, barely managing to avoid slurring her speech.

Olga balled her dainty fingers into a shaky fist. There was no alternative and she knew it. She had to do the unthinkable, inviting back the very thing she'd run away from, letting in the possibility of shattering the life of bliss she'd had in the last two years.

"Mommy, for too long, I responded to our family's problems by putting my head in the sand and pretending everything was on cloud-nine. It was because I felt powerless to do anything about it, even when I grew up, but I'm not powerless anymore. I have a show tonight, but afterward, I'm going to talk to Louis to see if you can stay with us for a while. Maybe that way, you can start getting better."

"Louis hates your dad and me." Miriam responded instantly. Her reply was so fast that it surprised both her and Olga. "...I mean..." Her eyes and voice drooped, finally realizing what it all meant. "...And I don't think Helga would be thrilled, either..."

Olga sighed. She'd responded on autopilot before. Now she realized the difficulty of what she had just committed herself to. "Louis...isn't the most compassionate person in the world, at least not with people he thinks willingly bring disaster on themselves." She admitted. "But...I don't think he hates you. If you approach this with the right attitude, I actually think you have more of a chance with him than you might realize. I think he'll at least hear me out." Olga said with a smile as fresh tears leaked from her eyes.

"And what about Helga?" Miriam asked, seemingly trying to find a way out of what she and Olga had stumbled into.

"Helga..." Olga slowly spat out, trying to collect her thoughts. "Helga's still a kid. We love her, but she doesn't make the rules in our house. She'll ultimately have to accept what Louis and I decide to do." Olga put her head in her hands and cried into them once again as soon as the words were out, knowing how huge of a deal they were. She'd just willingly put herself, and more importantly, her sister, into a minefield.


	4. Stupid, Naive, Selfish Olga!

Olga got home at around 10:30. She hung up her coat and began walking upstairs. The Christmas tree sparkled a bit in the corner of her eye. She turned to look down at it in the living room. Helga had evidently begun decorating it. Where was she? The house was so quiet. It was too ominous. Her heartbeat actually increased as she walked down the hall on the second floor.

"_No Arnold, I told you this before! You're coming over to watch the Hawk vs. Takamura fight, and that's that!_" Helga's voice leaked from her room, even behind the closed door.

Olga crept over.

"_What do you mean, you'll think about it? Come on, Football Head! You can't tell me that you'd rather watch one of those network animated Christmas specials than two BAD dudes beating the living crap out of each other!_"

Olga's lips involuntarily curled up into a warm smile as she stepped past Helga's room and toward the master bedroom. She needed that. She opened the door and there he was, on the bed in just his trunks, reading a book. _Confessions of an Advertising Man_, she saw.

"Hey babe." He greeted and turned back to his book. "How'd the show go?"

"Good. We were playing Bach today."

"Your classic Brandenburg Concerto? That must've been nice, not too difficult." He said without looking at her as he turned a page.

"Yeah..." Olga trailed with a sigh and went into the bathroom. "Did your deal come through?" She asked as she turned on the water.

"Yep." Louis responded. "They loved my presentation because, quite simply, _I am the best_." He smirked. "We're going to get started on the campaign after the Holidays."

"That's good." Olga replied as she began to wash off her makeup. Her heartbeat was quickening.

Now Louis lowered the book slightly and darted his eyes over it and toward the bathroom. She was less cheerful than normal, especially after a good show. She would also have usually laughed at his earlier swagger.

"...Everything OK in there?"

"...Something came up today. We really need to talk."

"Ugh...we do?" He groaned and rolled his eyes as he put the book in his lap.

She emerged from the bathroom in her nightgown with tears rolling down her cheeks. Louis' sarcasm instantly morphed into concern.

"Olga, what happened?" He asked, rushing up and grabbing her shoulders.

"We should go in the kitchen." Olga responded. "I'd rather preclude the possibility of Helga overhearing this. She's on the phone with Arnold, so that will make this a little easier."

"What does Helga have to do with this?"

"Louis, let's just..."

Wordlessly, he followed her out, past Helga's room, to the end of the hallway, and down the stairs toward the kitchen.

* * *

"That settles it, Football Head! Be here on fight night!" Helga ordered and hung up the phone. "Ah!" She grinned. "That always makes things so much easier!"

She left her room and went to one of the closets in the hallway, pulling down a box of Christmas ornaments from the shelf. She hummed happily to herself as she moved downstairs and toward the tree. She stood on the stool nearby, put the box down on an adjacent chair, and started placing some ornaments near the top when she heard Olga's voice coming from the kitchen. Evidently, she'd gotten home.

* * *

"I got a call from the hospital this morning, Louis..."

"The hospital?" He asked skeptically, but couldn't hide his concern.

"No, it wasn't about me or Helga." Olga responded to reassure him.

"Then, what about?"

"...My mother...had an incident this morning."

* * *

Helga's ears immediately pricked up. She froze in place, an ornament dangling from her hand.

* * *

"What kind of incident?"

"She...collapsed on the street and was rushed into the emergency room. She's OK, but she had a blood alcohol level of 0.42, and they had to pump a ton out of her stomach."

"Holy shit, that's a lot." Louis instinctively responded, surprising her. He rarely cussed.

"And it gets worse from there. Her health has really deteriorated these past couple of years. Her doctor told me she was going to develop permanent brain and liver damage if she doesn't stop drinking now. I went to see her and..."

"You went there?!" Louis burst out, showing rare anger.

* * *

Helga put the ornament on the tree. Immediately afterward, she bunched her hands into fists.

* * *

"I had to!" Olga responded, throwing up her hands as if in surrender. "She's my mother, Louis!"

This made him relent. "I mean... I'm just worried that you were with your father without me there."

"Oh no, daddy wasn't there." Olga's voice grew icy. "The hospital called him, but he couldn't bother to listen because '_he had a business to run._' That's why they called me instead."

"Oh..." Louis' voice grew grim, barely concealing a growl. "I see... That actually only makes me angrier."

"I mean, I know what daddy's like, but even for him..."

"Yeah, it's not the first time I've wanted to beat the shit out of your father." Louis responded calmly.

"You wouldn't?!"

"No, not unless he tried to physically abuse you or Helga." He reassured. "Anyway, continue."

* * *

Helga growled to herself as she put another ornament in the tree. The ebullient gingerbread man was the polar opposite of how she felt in that moment.

* * *

"I saw her and she was so frail..." Olga trailed, trying to stifle some sobs. "And I just couldn't help but feel unbearably guilty. These last two years...was I running away from confronting my family's problems again...? Was I still just trying to see the world through rose-colored glasses? Did I abandon my family? Was I being selfish and not doing my best for my family?"

"Olga, we've been through this before." Louis looked at her sternly. "You are not responsible for your family's problems. It is not for you to take care of them. You have your own life and you are not obligated to carry the burden for your family. You didn't fail them. Understand?"

"I know but..." She began to sob. "Mommy's in really bad shape. She really needs help. She absolutely cannot go back to where she was before and..."

* * *

Helga's heartbeat quickened.

* * *

"NO!"

"Louis!"

"Absolutely not!" He declared and got up, pacing toward the refrigerator.

* * *

Helga bunched her fists together again and nodded up and down. Olga was too unbearably sweet for her own good in so many ways. Thankfully, Louis could always be counted on to be the voice of reason.

* * *

"Louis, she needs help! Her doctor told me she was at risk of developing a life-threatening liver condition and permanent dementia! What am I supposed to do, just send her back to the same place that led her to this?! You know, this thought came to me when I got the phone call from the hospital. I stared at the pictures of us on the coffee table, and the portraits of Louis Henri and the king...and I wondered...am I being too eager to join your family and totally disregard mine, to pretend like they don't exist? I mean...mommy could have died today...and she very well still might if she doesn't get help quickly. I don't think I'd be able to live with myself if I just _did nothing_. I can't very well _let her die_, can I?"

Louis' face drooped. "No...I guess not." He grumbled.

"I mean...she might not have been perfect, but wasn't it Seneca that said you can't live your life according to calculations of expediency? That you actually have to do the right thing, or it will come back to haunt you? I can't imagine that Seneca would consider unwillingness to help someone in need, especially when you have the power to do so, as being beneficial to civilized living. I mean, I've known about mommy's problem for as long as I can remember, but I wasn't able to do anything about it back then, so I just pretended like everything was fine. It's different now. It would be even worse if I didn't lift a finger to help her, now that I'm finally able to do so. I can't pretend anymore."

"It was Cicero that said those things." Louis corrected. "Nonetheless...point taken. You're even starting to make me feel guilty. It would be wrong of me to refuse such a request."

* * *

Helga's jaw dropped and her arm hung in mid-air. The ornament she was about to place on the tree was now the furthest thing from her mind. She began to slowly shake her head. Then the shaking quickened to a rapid pace.

* * *

"Thank you..." Olga smiled at him lovingly.

"BUT." Louis stopped her from kissing him and looked at her frankly. "I have two conditions. First, she better not be a detriment to you girls. If I think she's hurting you or Helga in some way, she's out of here, and that leads me to my second condition. She actually has _to want_ to do it. Overcoming addiction is a serious business and requires a lot of work. She has to actually want to do the work. We can help and support her, but ultimately she needs to make the choice that she wants to do it. I swear, Olga, if she doesn't want to do it, she's out."

"Yes, I understand you." Olga replied as a few happy tears started leaking from her eyes. "You know...it's because of you that I now have the power to do this...to actually help my family instead of ignoring the problems. You helped me and then we helped Helga...I hope that the three of us can now pay it forward and..."

"NO!"

The two of them turned around with surprised expressions to see an agitated Helga standing at the entrance to the kitchen, with a look that skirted between despair and fury.

"Helga, why are you up so late?" Olga asked. "It's a school night!"

"Don't give me any of that school night crap!" Helga growled. "How can you possibly think of bringing _Miriam_ here?! Where did this come from?!"

"How long have you been spying on us?" Louis lightly taunted.

"I heard the whole thing!" Helga pouted in response.

"Then you must have heard where the idea came from!" Louis answered, making Helga growl again.

"Helga..." Olga walked over and tried to hug her.

"NO! Get away from me!" She objected. "That's your problem, _Olga_. You're too sweet for your own good! That was always your problem! Here you are _again_, trying to be the golden child _again_. Old habits really do die hard, even after all this time, huh? Since when did _Miriam_ deserve any of your goodwill?"

"Helga..." Olga trailed, her eyes expressing their pain. "I know she wasn't perfect to either of us, but...she's still our mother!"

"Mother?!" Helga huffed haughtily. "What kind of a mother lets you languish and fend for yourself when you're four years old?! Or does nothing to stick up for you when you're being harangued by your blowhard of a father for no reason?! And you...what about you?! You really think you owe something to a 'mother' that not only acquiesced to the pressure you were put under, but actually added to it? Do you _really_ need to be her precious little doll again?"

Olga was about to cry again.

"Why even bother?" Helga muttered. "It's just another time I've been let down by my supposed 'family.' Thanks a lot."

Helga stormed upstairs. Tears again leaked from Olga's eyes and she was about to break down in sobs, but she suddenly felt herself in the embrace of a pair of strong arms. A hand was rubbing her back comfortingly. It worked.

"Let me go talk to her." Louis smiled confidently. "I know you're feeling crappy, but you know how sensitive this is to Helga. She'll come around. Just make sure you show your support for her. In the meantime, while I'm talking to her, I want you to take all the drinks out of the kitchen and put them in the fridge in the office. I'll lock that one up tomorrow morning."

Olga nodded in acquiescence as he broke the embrace and left the room.

* * *

"Well Arnold, it looks like I'm in a pickle again." She said to her classic locket. "Stupid Miriam!" She growled. "Stupid, naive, selfish Olga!"

A few knocks rattled on her door. Helga put the locket away and opened the door to see Louis standing there. Wordlessly, he let himself in and sat on her bed.

"I didn't ask for company!" She sneered.

"Well, you got it." Louis quipped back, unfazed. "Consider it your punishment for staying up this late on a school night and spying on us." He smirked and pointed to the spot next to him.

Helga grumbled and sat beside him.

"This definitely came as a shock to you, I know." Louis said. "Believe me, it was a shock to me, too."

"Yeah, and that's what really bugs me!" Helga cut him off. "I'd expect this kind of feel-good nauseating sweetness from Olga, not from you! You were the one I could always count on. I'm way more disappointed in you!" She growled and looked away, toward the wall.

"Helga, Olga is about to become my wife!" He objected. "Do you honestly think I can just ignore something this severe? In this case, her sweetness is in the right place."

Helga snapped her head back at him. "But what happened to your vow not to let Bob or Miriam see us until they became positive influences?! Are you really going to break that because of Olga's selfish need to be the perfect, golden child?"

"Someone's being selfish here, but it isn't Olga."

Helga's jaw dropped suddenly, then she quickly grit her teeth and grumbled.

"You know, when I first met you, I saw all the talent in the world, but it was hidden beneath your mess of a home and the scowling mask you wore in response to it. Now when I look at you two years later, I see that potential coming out and growing every day. It's amazing to me how much progress you've made. I'm proud of you." He smiled.

"So why do you want to take me closer to that old life?!" Helga snapped.

"The situation's changed, Helga. I want you to look at yourself. Think about all the work you've put in, the improvements you've made. You see what all that effort can do. You see what's possible. You see what can happen if you really want something, right?"

"I guess so, but..."

Her frown was breaking. Louis knew he just needed to make a final push.

"So now think about your mother. Maybe she can make those improvements too. Maybe she can put in the work too. It would be wrong to deny her that opportunity, wouldn't it? I know you know it would be wrong to just leave your mother with nothing but the bottle. A change of environment might just be the thing she needs to get moving and make the kind of improvements you've made."

The frown broke. "I guess that makes sense... I have no choice but to admit it."

Louis brought her into a hug. She returned the favor.

"I know this is going to be tough. Believe me, I'm not thrilled. Trust me when I say that I have your and Olga's interests at the center of my thoughts. My vow hasn't changed. It's just been altered a bit."

"That makes me feel a lot better..." Helga replied as the embrace ended.

"Good. Now get to bed." He ordered.

She complied with a smile as he turned off the lights and went out of the room, closing the door behind him. Still, Helga had difficulty falling asleep. It was suddenly dawning on her that her screw-up alcoholic of a mother was going to violate this precious house tomorrow, all thanks to Olga's unbearable kindness. She growled and clenched her fists until sweet sleep finally swept her off her feet.


	5. Just Stay Away From Me!

It took a while for her to realize it after waking up, but when she did, ominous air flooded into her lungs, quickening her heartbeat.

Olga's girly, bubbly, annoying Christmas music wasn't playing downstairs. Suddenly, she was longing for it. That it wasn't filling the air could only mean that things were serious.

"Criminy..." Helga groaned and went to the bathroom to get ready. School didn't seem so bad now.

She moped downstairs and to the kitchen. Olga had made French toast, but suddenly it didn't seem appetizing. The two sisters stared at one another tensely, their same pale blue eyes probing and gouging at one another. There was nothing and everything to say. The tension was finally broken by a powerful voice that both sisters were relieved to hear.

"Helga, I know you might not have the best appetite now, but you better eat. Don't get distracted at school because you're hungry."

Louis walked into the room, dressed in his custom black suit, a dark red tie, a matching pocket square, Zegna shoes, and his usual belt buckle.

"Why are you dressed like that?!" Helga blurted out.

"Uh...this is how you usually dress when you go meet with clients." He lightly taunted as he sat and began to eat.

Olga giggled, but Helga only growled before looking back at him.

"You mean you're not working from home today?!"

"Uh...no?" The light sarcasm was still rippling in his voice. "After I close a deal, I go meet with the clients to see what their operations on the ground are like, and go through their data on their customers. You know how this works."

Helga groaned. Olga wanted to say something, but Louis signaled for her to stand down, and she relented.

* * *

"Helga...?" Arnold trailed.

She was sitting at a lunch table, frowning into space, seemingly ready to explode the moment she came back to consciousness. He knew to tread lightly.

"What?" Helga finally growled. Only the solitary word had escaped her mouth. She still glowered, not looking at him.

Arnold only took his seat with great caution. "It's just that...when I saw you in math class today, you didn't call me Football Head or Hair Boy once, and you sat hunched over and glaring into space, and you're doing the same thing here. I just...don't get it. You were so happy on the phone last night. If I recall, you said you had 'family coming, and 12 rounds of boxing to top it all off.' So what happened? Did those guys...Hawk and Takamura...right? Was the fight called off?"

"No Arnoldo, the fight was not called off."

"Then...what's the problem?"

"Oh, I don't know, how about trying this one on for size? Oh no...I think I must have left my purse on the roof of the car! Or how about this one? Oh no...almost got it...another little inch! Honey...could you help me get the Tabasco? Oh...oopsie woopsie! And the entire cabinet comes tumbling out!"

"...I don't get it..."

Helga grimaced and stared into space again. "Alright Arnoldo, it's like this. Miriam had one too many drinks yesterday and got sent to the hospital, and because Big Bob is such a jerk, the nurses wound up calling Olga, and...Olga invited her stay with us in our house! Oh, you know, so Miriam 'can get help.' Yeah, sure."

Arnold's eyes darted about as she moved her hands frantically, her voice quickening with each word.

"Well, no big deal, right? Olga's so sweet and bubbly that she sometimes does stupid things, right? Louis usually nips that crapola in the bud right and quick and keeps her silliness under control. But, not this time...he actually _agreed_ with her!"

Arnold noted that her voice had morphed from anger to distress. "Your mom got sent to the hospital? That sounds serious!" He interjected.

"Yeah, so?" Helga said with a nonchalant look as she held her cheek in her hand.

"I mean, it sounds like your sister and Louis just want to help her. That can't be so bad."

"Earth to Football Head - are you forgetting that this is _Miriam_? The same Miriam that would rather fall asleep in front of the stove than go a day without a smoothie?"

"Helga, you trust them, don't you? Well, maybe they can help your mother, and maybe you should try to have a little more faith in her, too."

Helga glowered and stared into space again as Phoebe and Gerald approached the table.

* * *

"Oh Olga, you know, this is such a nice home you have..." Miriam said, sitting across from her daughter on a chair in the living room. "And you've decorated it so well!"

"Thank you, mommy. I hope you'll find the den in the basement comfortable. I should warn you that when Louis works out in the gym down there, he turns the music up very loud, and with Henry coming in a couple of days, you can expect it to get even louder and wilder."

"Oh, it's fine, honey. I should be up by the time you tell me he likes to start..." She trailed. "I'm sorry, honey...for being a burden."

"Mommy...the important thing is that you get better..." Olga tried to hold back tears. "I suddenly feel like I abandoned you when you needed help just as much as Helga did, maybe even more..."

"After looking at these pictures on the table over here...I can't say that you were wrong..."

"Oh mommy..."

"You and Helga both look so much happier than you ever were at home..."

"Mommy, I'll pull a page from Louis' book and say that you have to stop living in the past. You have to act in the here and now with an eye to the future. Your past doesn't define your future!"

Miriam adjusted her glasses to stare up at her cheerful daughter. She was bewildered by the sudden surge of energy. "He says that, huh...?" She could barely respond.

"Yes! You know...he always has a way of bringing out the best in you. That's a huge reason why I love him so much..." She gushed.

Miriam tried to smile, but it just wasn't coming out. "You were lucky to meet him. Not everyone gets so lucky..."

Silence descended on mother and daughter. Olga sensed that the tension in the room was blowing up like a balloon. It could either deflate gently or it could pop on both of them. Nevertheless, she had to ask and risk the latter.

"Mommy...what did you say to daddy about this...arrangement...?"

"I didn't really know what to say...so I just told him the truth..."

Olga stiffened. Her heartbeat quickened and her arms suddenly grew heavy. She breathed hard to try and relieve herself.

"I'm sorry, honey. I understand what you were dealing with all those years now, and know I shouldn't have done that. Are you...afraid...?"

"No..." Olga finally exhaled and sighed. "Not with Louis here, anyway, and Henry's coming soon too, so that's double the reason to not be afraid!"

"It's alright...you don't need to try to convince yourself. I think I made a mistake..."

"Let's just not tell Helga." Olga sighed. "She was very upset last night and this morning. No need to make her more worried..."

"I'm such a screw-up..."

"Mommy, let's just try to handle one thing at a time..."

* * *

Arnold looked at the clock. It was getting close to 5. Night had fallen hours ago, and they'd long since finished their homework.

"So Football Head, what are we eating for dinner tonight? What do Stella and Gertie have in the oven?" She asked, her head hanging down from Arnold's bed.

"Helga, you can't avoid seeing your mother forever." He replied.

"But...but...it isn't forever!" She stammered. As usual, he saw right through her.

"Helga..."

"Fine!" She growled and got up. "If you want me gone so badly, just say so!"

She stomped toward the door, but suddenly felt herself in Arnold's embrace. Just as suddenly, that adorable football-shaped head of his bent down and kissed her. Yes, Arnold was slightly taller than her now. She liked that!

"Ohhh!"

Arnold looked at her strangely. Her swoon instantly morphed into a frown.

"Helga, just get it over with. You know you have to go home eventually. You've never been the type not to confront a problem."

"Guess you're right, Arnoldo..."

"I'm with you, Helga. You'll always be welcome here if you need a place to go. Just remember though, you still live with your sister and Louis. This isn't going to change how they feel about you, so you shouldn't change how you feel about them, either."

A storm of thoughts swirled into Helga's head as she grabbed her backpack and went down the steps from his room.

* * *

"You know, honey, I'd really love to go see you play!" Miriam gushed as she watched her daughter, who somehow hopped to and fro in five-inch heels and a sparkling black evening gown.

"After the Holidays, mommy." Olga mumbled as she gathered her belongings.

"Mhmm." Miriam mumbled. For the first time in ages, her eyes lit up. "I'm just so proud of you, dear!"

Mother and daughter exchanged a hug when the door opened.

"What's this?!"

They turned around at the sound of an agitated voice and a slamming door. Helga emerged, frowning and throwing her coat and backpack on the floor. Miriam looked at her and gasped, stunned at how different she looked, but Helga consciously avoided eye contact.

"Helga..." Olga trailed and walked over.

"Why are you dressed like that?! You weren't supposed to be doing a show tonight!"

"I wasn't...but they called me in because our other pianist, Imelda, had to go away to her family a little earlier than we thought."

"Oh..." Helga groaned and darted her eyes to the floor. Finally, she looked up to see Olga staring at her with genuine concern and love, and remembered Arnold's words. "Good luck tonight, Olga."

"Thank you, sweetie." Olga smiled and embraced her sister, who returned it warmly. "And just to let you know, Louis should be home within an hour." She declared when the embrace ended. Helga reluctantly smiled back and nodded up to her, appreciative of the reassurance, but clearly still worried. Olga looked at her somberly. For all of her support, Olga knew that Louis was the one that really made her feel safe. She wished she could provide that feeling, but she couldn't. Hopefully, he would be back quickly. "...OK, I have to go. I'll be back later tonight! Just heat up your dinner when he gets home!" Olga reminded both Helga and Miriam as she put on her coat and left, taking heed to make as little noise as possible.

As soon as the door closed, a cloud of tension fell on the room. For a while, the two just stood there. Helga still avoided making eye contact. Her hands were bunched into fists. They trembled.

"Helga...hi honey...! It's so good to see you...!"

"Well, now looks like a good time to get the mail!" Helga blurted at the wall and rushed outside.

Miriam followed Helga with her usual half-awake expression as she came back inside, holding a bundle of mail and closing the door.

"Lets see now..." Helga mused. "Bill, bill, bill." She dismissed, putting the envelopes on the nearby table. "Huh?" She asked and grabbed a magazine wrapped in plastic. "Oh, _Vogue_. That's Olga's." She dismissed again and put it on the table. "Hm? What's this?" She asked as she came upon a manila envelope addressed to Louis Burbon. Helga cautiously opened it. "OH YES, IT CAME IN!"

Miriam was startled by the sudden excitement. She chanced a peak over Helga's shoulder to see her holding a magazine. _Monthly Boxing Fan_, it was. On the front cover stood two men - a smirking man in the background and a man with a hawk on his shoulder in the foreground and a determined expression. She adjusted her glasses and read the headline - "The Battle of Hawk - Full Coverage of the WBC Jr. Middleweight Title match!" There were sections on "Hawk's Strategy," "Takamura's Strategy," and other "expert analysis."

"Alright!" Helga grinned, not noticing her mother's nearness. "Takamura's Strategy, by Mari Iimura! I love her stuff! And she went to the Kamogawa Gym where he trains! Awesome!"

Now Miriam smiled. "What do you have there, honey? A big event you're excited about?"

Helga's eyes immediately blew wide open, suddenly remembering where she was. She turned around to see Miriam staring right over her shoulder.

"MIRIAM!" She turned and growled, making her mother backtrack a few steps. "It's none of your business!" She hissed.

"What is it, honey...?" Miriam responded, bewildered.

"Just because Louis and Olga view you as a charity case doesn't mean that we're suddenly going to be all buddy buddy, GOT IT?! You're here to get help. Fine. But I'm warning you, Miriam, _I'm watching you_. In the extremely unlikely event that you fall off the wagon and Louis misses it, you can rest assured that I'll tell him the first chance I get, and then you'll be out of here faster than you can fall asleep behind the couch! I have a good thing going here, Miriam, and I am not going to let it get messed up just because _you're_ suddenly back in my life thanks to your inability to control your 'smoothie' intake. OK, bucko?!"

"But Helga..."

"JUST STAY AWAY FROM ME!"

Miriam's head drooped as she watched Helga storm upstairs, carrying the magazine.


	6. An Awkward Transition

Miriam slumped in the couch. She couldn't stop staring at the pictures. Both of her daughters were beaming in all of them. A cheerful Olga wasn't new, but seeing Helga so happy was something she wasn't used to. That happiness had instantly melted away, it seemed, the moment she arrived. Her eyes drooped. Now would be the right time for a smoothie.

The door creaked open, rattling her out of her rumination. Instinctively, she turned toward the foyer and there he was, staring at her with a hard, skeptical expression. For the first time in a while, a chill gripped her body, spreading cold fear to every inch. She felt like a captive staring up at her conqueror, who had taken the city she lived in by storm. She was at his mercy. Yet, his first words to her in two years were surprisingly nonchalant.

"Have you settled in?"

"Y...yes..." She stammered and stumbled on her feet to meet his gaze.

"I don't think I need to tell you the gravity of this situation. I trust that Olga's already told you my terms."

"She did..." Miriam sighed and drooped her head.

"Hey now, consider this the first step in your new life. Keep your head up - trust me, it affects your mood. The opportunity is yours for the taking, but you need to take it. The choice is yours. You better make the right one."

"..." Miriam drooped her head again and rubbed her arm nervously.

"Louis?"

He turned his head to see Helga staring at him through the banister. She grimaced immediately upon seeing Miriam, which caused her to take a few steps back.

"What is it?" He replied, signaling with his eyes for Helga to relent.

"..._The Monthly Boxing Fan_ came in..." Her frown broke, but it was replaced with a nervous look. "...Do you want to look at it?"

"Sure." He smirked. "Just let me go change and start heating dinner up."

"OK!" Helga grinned and rushed upstairs.

Louis looked at Miriam one more time before making his way up toward the master bedroom. She stared blankly at the wall.

* * *

"Mari Iimura talked to a lot of the Kamogawa Gym's members - Ippo Makunouchi being one of them. Apparently, the rumors were true and Takamura's weight management really is a problem. A big one." Helga said as they slowly downed the hot Pichelsteiner that Olga had prepared beforehand. "I really hope he'll be able to make the weigh in. The cutting has been intense."

"That's why I think Hawk's gonna win." Louis responded after spooning another mouthful of the stew. "Takamura's had to cut huge to get to junior middleweight and only two months after his last fight at middleweight. That's gonna take a lot out of him. Meanwhile, Hawk's fighting at his natural weight. The guy's a bum that barely trains, but he's probably gonna skate because of how much the cutting is exhausting his opponent."

Miriam's eyes darted between the two of them. It was a livelier conversation than she'd ever heard with Helga at their own dinner table.

"The guy's a disgrace to the sport!" Helga growled after blowing on her spoonful of stew. "I really, really hope we aren't getting a long title reign from him."

"I get what you're saying, but don't you have other things to worry about?" Louis chuckled.

"Don't start sounding like Olga on me." Helga grinned.

"Hey now, all things in appropriate measure. Not to be a party pooper, but what's going on at that school of yours? Like it or not, you're gonna get work over the Christmas break."

"Yeah..." She groaned. "Actually I've been meaning to ask you. My social studies class has been looking at the Gilded Age, and we all need to do reports on the robber barons over the break. I got John D. Rockefeller. I'm sure you learned about him in business school."

"Sure. Rockefeller basically invented the modern corporation. A study of his career is almost required reading."

"So what can you tell me about him? Give me some bullet points to start with once school lets out."

"Well...the guy was clever, and I mean extremely clever. It's not so much that he was a genius per se, and he was no great promoter, but he knew an opportunity when he saw one, and he knew how to make sure that he would only pursue strategies where his chances of victory were very high...and he could just see little weaknesses in people where he could manipulate them into doing his bidding."

"Like what?"

"For instance, he wasn't interested in actually exploring or drilling for oil. It was too risky. He decided that it was better to put capital into refining the oil once it was out of the ground because there was no risk of losing a gargantuan sum on a well that would come up dry. That's what I was talking about where he only pursued strategies with a high chance of victory. The guy had a great eye for efficiency also, so he would increase those odds still further, and he didn't care about the dark side of all this. So in the early 1870s, he basically set up a cartel with the railroads where he could ship his oil at a reduced rate. Then, because he got to ship his oil at a lower rate than his competitors, he bought rival refineries at a monster pace. He would even go to rival refiners and show them his books to convince them that it was impossible to compete and offer them generous amounts of Standard Oil stock to buy them out. That's how his dominance began. Be sure to look up the 'Cleveland Massacre' for your report, for example."

"Sounds shady."

"Remember, Helga, a lot of the stuff he and his peers did wasn't illegal at the time, and in the end, they did a lot of good, not just by spurring the government to act against their abuses, but also for their contributions to industry, mass production, philanthropy, you know."

"Well, since you know so much about it...how about you write me an outline and I can just copy from you?!" She gave a fake bashful grin.

"Nice try." He smirked. "Besides, knowing you, some of Rockefeller's schemes are going to amuse you, and beyond even that, if you're actually pondering a business career, you have to know about him. You can't learn unless you do the work yourself."

"Fine..." She sighed. "I just...hoped I'd be able to spend a little more time with Arnold over the break instead of working, that's all."

"That shtick might work with Olga, but you aren't fooling me." Louis smirked. "How is that little boyfriend of yours anyway? Eh, why ask? Knowing you, I bet you bullied him into coming over and watching the fight, so I guess I'll be seeing him soon, anyway."

"Y...you have a boyfriend...Helga?"

Her and Louis' eyes both snapped open and their heads abruptly turned to her. Miriam was shocked at their expressions. It was as if they suddenly realized that they weren't the only ones at the table. She felt like a foreign presence.

"It's none of your beeswax, Miriam!" Helga grimaced, fighting to stifle a blush.

Her eyes darted to and fro, from her angry daughter to Louis, who looked like he didn't quite know what to make of her, and then back to her stew. She nervously fiddled with her spoon and silently slid the contents into her throat.

"Uh..." She finally stammered, trying to find something, anything to say. "...Would you like some help with your report, Helga?"

"Why would I ask you for help?" Helga's expression cooled. "Since when did you ever help with anything? If I need help on it, I'll ask Louis. You know, like I just did? That's kind of the story of our lives, isn't it? Why don't you just go back to what you usually do and take an impromptu nap?"

Silence descended over the table. Miriam looked down into her swirling stew with no expression on her face, her lips sealed. They didn't open again until Olga got back. She gave a fainthearted attempt to bid her daughter goodnight.

* * *

Helga was in the kitchen, making sure all the snacks were ready. The past few days had been something of a downer. Nevertheless, today she was all smiles. Much more welcome guests were about to descend on the house.

Olga walked into the kitchen, followed by Miriam.

"Helga, you've been such a big help, especially given that Louis and I have other things to do tonight."

"Oh, it's no problem! You taught me well!"

Olga smiled.

"...But what's she doing in here?"

"Helga..." Olga trailed as Miriam looked ahead absentmindedly. "She volunteered to help. Besides, with us having to get ready, the assistance is helpful."

"Fine." Helga sighed, crossing her arms, and rolling her eyes.

"HEY OLGA!" A voice boomed from the master bedroom. "YOU MIGHT WANT TO COME TAKE A LOOK AT THIS! YOUR DRESS HAS A STAIN IN IT!"

"Ugh." She groaned. "COMING!"

As Olga scurried out of the kitchen, Miriam stared at the back of her other daughter, who was busy putting putting the frozen pigs in a blanket on a cooking tray. Her eyes drooped a little. Helga hadn't spoken a word to her in the past few days. Louis had only exchanged a few short words. Miriam could tell that he was on guard, constantly scrutinizing and sizing her up, just less harshly than Helga. Only Olga had spoken to her on a regular basis and even those conversations were somewhat guarded.

"Helga honey..." She ventured. "Do you want me to put the second set of those pigs in a blanket on the other cooking sheet?"

"No, Miriam." Helga answered nonchalantly. "Nobody asked for your help on anything, so why don't you just go away?"

"Helga..." She trailed. Her daughter didn't even look at her as she went to the refrigerator to open the second box of pigs in a blanket.

"What?" She came close to growling as she opened the box.

"Well...Olga said I should help anyway..." She tried to find something, anything.

"Then go 'help' with something else." Helga kept her nonchalant tone, showing no emotion.

"Helga!" Miriam now started to get angry. Her daughter met her gaze with not a hint of a flinch. "I know that...my being here isn't what you might have wanted, but we're still family, and you should treat me with a little more...respect." She trailed, her hot air deflating at the end.

"No, Miriam." Helga replied nonchalantly as she put the pigs in a blanket in the oven. "My _real_ family is about to get here, you know, the people that actually care about me? Why don't you just drink a smoothie instead of giving me all this 'we're family' crapola? That is what you do best, after all. Just butt out, OK?"

Miriam's eyes widened, but the doorbell interrupted any continuation of this chat. Helga finally broke her mask of indifference and started to beam.

"Are they really here already?!"

She rushed out into the foyer, with Miriam cautiously following. Helga looked through the peephole to see a tall, muscular man on the other side, a full beard, wavy auburn hair, and the same green eyes as Louis. A confident grin marked his features.

It was Henry!


	7. The Odd One Out

Helga beamed from ear to ear and opened the door wide, with such velocity that it almost slammed against the wall. She was greeted by the smiling faces of Henry and the two women with him.

"I didn't think you'd get here so early!" Helga welcomed.

"Well..." The younger woman, who had green eyes and long red hair that ended just above her waist, spoke. "...You can thank this guy for being strong enough to drag me." She pointed to Henry, who was holding two large suitcases. He merely shrugged with a cocky grin.

"Oh come on Penelope, I'm sure I can help you get settled in." Helga countered.

"Why, do you have a forklift?" She rolled her eyes and took her coat off, revealing a form that was slender and proportioned, all except for a bulging belly.

Helga simply grinned and hugged her upon seeing it. As she went to the foyer closet to put her coat away, Helga exchanged a look with the other, older woman, meeting her hazel eyes with a sparkle in her own. She had shoulder-length hair of the same color as Henry, though it was faded with some grey spots.

"Aunt Cecily, how do you deal with these children?" Helga mocked.

"The same way I deal with you." She answered. "Hello, sweetheart." She greeted and exchanged a warm hug with Helga, then went to hang her coat up.

"And well, if it isn't the best man." Helga said in a challenging tone to Henry.

"Technically not until the wedding, but you can call me that if you want. It _is_ true, after all." He grinned, putting the suitcases on the floor and closing the door behind him.

Helga threw her arms around the man, who towered over her.

"How you doing, squirt?" He asked, rubbing her hair after the hug and putting his coat in the closet. "Still busting on your sister for freaking out about those fireflies last summer?"

"Leave it to Olga to think they sting. Show her any insect and she'll freak out. She's such a wimp!"

"Hey, I heard that!" Olga shouted from atop the stairs, but with a smile. Louis, meanwhile, rushed downstairs.

"Yo! Yo! Yo! Yo! Yo!" The brothers both greeted each other at the same time, exchanging a high-five and then a hug.

"Mom." Louis turned to Cecily and gripped her tightly.

"Hi, dear." She responded. "And Olga, hello." She turned to her son's fiancée and hugged her as well.

"Penelope...you've gained weight." Louis challenged with an evil grin.

"Do you want to die just before your wedding, Louis Burbon?" She raised a red eyebrow with a challenging grin of her own.

"I don't think you can kill me, though, so I have no problem hugging you because you're not in the habit of carrying daggers around to stab me in the back with."

She rolled her eyes and hugged her brother-in-law.

"Are you sure you want to marry this one?" Penelope taunted and hugged Olga. "Before you know it, you're gonna be like me." She pointed at her belly, making Olga blush.

"It's so sweet, though!" Olga countered. "It must be such a great feeling to look at the sonogram pictures!" She practically squealed.

"Oh, they're so adorable!" Cecily chimed in. "My little grandson...even in the womb he looks like such a star!"

Penelope shrugged her shoulders and smiled. "What can I say, he has good genes!"

"Uh, yeah." Henry grunted. "So...Louis...the place is...it's looking sharp...looking sharp..." He said as he gave the room a look over.

"Tell the truth." He crossed his arms.

"Well I mean, it's looking a little girly, but it's still looking sharp."

"Uh huh." He grunted at his brother and nodded his head mockingly. "You can blame her for that...or thank her." He pointed at Olga.

"Wouldn't be girly without the girl that thought fireflies can sting!" Henry grinned, making Helga laugh out loud.

"Now I know where Louis gets it from. Hello, Henry." Olga smirked and said in jest as she hugged him.

"Now Olga, let's see that ring!" Penelope challenged.

"Yes, I've been waiting for this." Cecily agreed. "I hope I can be proud of my son."

"Allow me to present it!" Louis rushed up to her and grabbed her left arm. "Because you see..." Louis made a show, grunting and gritting as he lifted it up. "Ever since I bought it for her, she has a hard time lifting her arm up on her own."

Olga giggled at his sarcasm. As soon as her arm was raised, showing the ring glittering on her hand, Penelope and Cecily squealed. Henry made a show of inspecting it, stamping his feet and bending over.

"I knew I raised you right!" Cecily hugged her son again.

"Good job, little bro." He said simply, lightly punching his shoulder.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. How about we finally get out of this cold foyer instead of squealing like little girls?" Helga snorted.

"Good idea." Louis replied.

The six of them turned around and saw Miriam standing on the edge of the living room. They stopped, their expressions softening.

Miriam noticed it. It was as if they forgot she was there.

"Uh...Henry...Penelope...Cecily...this is my mother, Miriam." Olga chattered nervously.

"Hi." All three of them cautiously greeted.

"Hello..."

"Yes...Olga...told us about your situation..." Penelope greeted. "Just so you know, I'm a nurse, and my husband over here is a trained combat medic, so we're here to help in case of...emergency."

"I see..." Miriam slurred. "Thank you..." She tried to smile.

Louis immediately knew that while Penelope meant well, it wasn't the best thing to say. Helga got the same feeling, madly looking for a way to dispel the awkwardness of the entire situation and get the jovial mood back. She spotted it on the coffee table when they went to the living room.

"Henry, take a look at this!" She grabbed the _Monthly Boxing Fan_.

"Oh, cool!" Henry replied with mock gusto as he took it and leafed through the pages. "This is gonna be some fight! Everyone on base has been talking about it!"

"Oh no...here we go." Penelope shook her head mockingly.

"You too, huh?" Olga grinned.

"Yes." She rolled her eyes as Louis, Henry, and Helga enthusiastically discussed the coming fight.

"They just want to have their fun. Let them." Cecily said with a clam smile.

"It's no laughing matter, though. It's barbaric. If you ask me, boxing should be banned." Penelope snorted.

"You take that back!" Helga snapped and pointed at her in mock outrage.

"Honey, I'm a nurse. I'm supposed to prevent harm." She responded.

"No harm in two badasses beating the crap out of each other for big pay." Henry taunted. She mockingly narrowed her eyes in reply. "Oh, speaking of the fight..."

Henry rushed into the foyer and came back with a bag. He made a mock drum roll and took a bottle out of the bag, giving it to Louis. It contained a golden brown liquid with the name "Nikka" on the label.

"This that Japanese whisky you were telling me about?" Louis asked skeptically as he looked the bottle over.

"Yep. Who would've guessed that the Japanese would do whisky so well? I'm just happy I got to bring some back after my stint there through the fall. And it's appropriate for the fight since the man from Japan Takamura is challenging for the world title, right? I figure we'll enjoy it then."

"Sounds fine..." Louis trailed when he noticed Miriam out of the corner of his eye. She was adjusting her glasses, trying to get a better look at the bottle. His eyes turned suspicious and as if catching herself, she looked downward at the floor, disappointed.

"Anyway guys, I'm so sorry we have to leave you tonight." Olga clasped her hands, pleading. "I had no idea until the last minute that our theater was gonna have its end-of-year gala tonight..."

"Oh, it's no big deal." Cecily answered her. "They can't have their big holiday gala without their star pianist, right?"

"Yeah, the last performance we went to was really beautiful." Penelope complimented. "You have to show up! Have you seen her play yet, Miriam?"

"Uh...no...not yet." She cautiously answered and a fog of awkwardness filled the room again. Helga felt it in every pore and begged for someone to speak. It wasn't soon before she got her wish.

"Well, there's still a couple of hours left before we need to leave." Louis interrupted the silence, giving the whisky to Olga and signaling for her to put it in the secure refrigerator. "And now that you're here to spot me, Henry, I can really challenge myself on the bench press. I want to see if I can get above 400."

"You got it. Today's my leg day, so you can spot me by the squat rack."

"Roger that, and most of all, hitting the gym with you means I get to listen to some real music again!"

"You got a point there." Henry responded. "Listening to this girly Christmas stuff all day every day, I'm surprised your balls haven't shriveled up."

"Oh believe me, they've come close." Louis answered as the two walked back toward the foyer and made for the staircase leading down to the basement.

"To think, Olga, _these_ are the men we chose." Penelope exhaled and shook her head, making Olga giggle. "You must be such a proud mother, Cecily."

"Hey, at least I know this means they're in good health." She smiled.

"Where are you going, Helga?" Olga asked as her sister suddenly made a dash for the foyer.

"Well, let's see...stay here and make some girl talk with you or work out with them down there and listen to real music? Psh. No contest!"

As soon as Helga left the room, loud, blaring power metal guitar riffs smashed into the air from downstairs, mixing unpleasantly with the Christmas music. The floor was slightly vibrating due to the bass. Olga and Penelope drooped.

"Get used to it, girls. I've lived with it for many more years than you." Cecily chuckled. "You'll still love them anyway."

* * *

Helga finished her pushups and laid on the floor, propping her head up with her hand. She grinned from ear to ear. She was still too young to hit the weights, but she loved being down here all the same. She thought it was just the coolest thing.

"I'll start at 180 and work my way up from there." Louis said as he and his brother approached the bench.

"Got it." Henry responded and began to collect some weights for the bar.

Helga rushed up to help, grabbing a 20 pound weight. Louis and Henry both looked at her incredulously as she wobbled toward the bench holding the weight, but she sheepishly smiled in return.

It was at that point that Miriam cautiously crept down the stairs, covering her ears and grimacing as she made her way toward the den that was her room. She turned to see Louis cranking the bench press up and down for five repetitions before stopping, with Henry spotting and Helga beaming.

"DO. YOU. MIND. TURNING. THE. MUSIC. DOWN?" Miriam shouted when he finished.

"WHAT?!" All three answered.

"I. SAID. DO. YOU. MIND. TURNING. THE. MUSIC. DOWN?"

Helga growled and lowered the sound. "What now?" She huffed.

"That was it..." Miriam answered cautiously.

"Miriam, you're ruining it in here!"

"Don't worry about it, Helga." Louis answered as he got up from the bench and went to get more weight. "Try to be a little accommodating."

"Fine." She sneered.

"You seem tense, Helga." Henry almost taunted as Louis began his bench presses again. "Some more exercise should solve that. Why don't you show me how you're preparing for your next track meet in March?"

"Here?" She asked skeptically.

"Sure. There's room. Let's see you move around."

"OK! And by the way, this reminds me, I wanted to ask you. I came up just short at the 100 meter hurdle at my last meet." She explained and began to stretch. "You're a Navy SEAL, so you guys train in jumping over obstacles I'm sure."

"Ya..." Henry smirked as Louis finished with his reps and went to add more weight.

"So I was thinking, maybe I'll win the gold next time if I can get my timing just a little better. Can you help me?"

"Alright, we'll go to the park tomorrow and do some work."

"Track meet?" Miriam asked as she was suddenly about to walk into the den. "You're doing well on your track team, Helga?"

"No one was talking to you, Miriam!" She instinctively snapped. "Just go to your room!"

Louis and Henry looked at one another almost shocked, but neither said anything as Miriam retreated.

* * *

"Oh, look at you!" Cecily squealed when she saw her son, dressed in a custom made midnight blue tuxedo with a peaked lapel. She rushed over to straighten out any rough edges.

"Mom, stop!" Louis grunted and brushed her hands away.

"Nothin' wrong with it. She just wuvs her 'widdle boy." Henry teased.

"Yeah, yeah!" Helga agreed. "Don't fight it. Let her tuck you in tonight!"

Louis smirked and shook his head back and forth as Olga rushed downstairs, wearing a strapless red-violet evening gown.

"Oh that one's nice. Oh yes." Penelope complimented, furiously nodding up and down.

"Anyway, speaking of tucking in, we should be back by midnight. I think." Louis declared. "Make sure that this one's in bed by the time we get back." He pointed to Helga.

"Sure, and if she's not, I'll sit on her." Henry answered.

Helga frowned. "Treating me like a little kid really?"

"It's the last school night, Helga." Olga answered her. "After this you'll have your vacation. OK...goodbye mommy." Olga ventured past the foyer toward the stairs to the basement and hugged Miriam.

"Have fun, dear."

Louis beckoned her to join him and they walked out, the door thudding behind them.

"So...what now?" Cecily asked.

"Eh? I dunno." Henry yawned and stretched his arms above his head nonchalantly. "Might as well order something to eat."

"YES!" Penelope answered enthusiastically, to the point that the others in the room eyed her with surprise. "Those pigs in a blanket were good, but not nearly enough. I'm so hungry!"

"How about that Lake Union Steakhouse place?" Henry asked. "I remember you recommending that place the last time I was here."

"I'll get the menu." Helga replied and rushed into the kitchen, bringing it back a few seconds later.

"Alright, let's see..." Henry sat on the couch and went over it.

"Hmmm..." His wife leaned over the couch to look at the menu. "I know! Give me a quarter pound of the supreme barbecue brisket, with onion rings and mashed potato sides, and blue cheese dressing, lots of blue cheese dressing." She began to walk to the kitchen to get a drink, but turned back. "...Better make that brisket half a pound."

"Are you eating for all four of us?" Helga teased, but Penelope slapped her shoulder in response.

"Never mock a pregnant woman, dear." Cecily smiled.

"What about you, mom?" Henry asked as she sat beside him.

"..." She thumbed through the menu. "Single rack of lamb, with a baked potato on the side."

"Alright, mom's covered..."

"Henry!"

"Yes?" He glanced back as Helga hopped over the back of the couch and onto the spot next to him. "I was thinking that we could share the mega pulled pork and barbecue rib combo."

"A whole pound, huh?" Henry looked it over. "Well...I guess we can always turn to the vacuum cleaner in the kitchen to finish off what we can't."

"I heard that!" Penelope answered.

"Alright, is that everyone?" Helga asked through her laughter. "Good! Let's go give them a call."

"No, we haven't asked what Miriam wants yet." Cecily cooled her jets.

"Oh...right." Helga grumbled. "What do you want, Miriam, and make it snappy!"

"I uh...I'll have the..." Miriam stumbled over both her words and her feet as she came to grab the menu.

Helga tapped her foot on the floor impatiently as Henry got up and went to the phone.

"I'll take the..."

"Come on, Miriam!"

Her eyes widened at her daughter's angry face. "I'll have what Cecily's having." She blurted out.

"A good choice." Cecily complimented as Henry called the steakhouse to place the orders.

Helga grumbled.

"OK, they say it'll be here in about 45 minutes." Henry announced after hanging up the phone.

"Too long." Penelope mumbled, returning to the room. "What do we do until then?"

"I know! With babies and weddings in the air, we can talk about the love life of a certain someone." Cecily answered and turned to her right. "How's your little boyfriend, Helga?"

"My...boyfriend?" Helga responded skeptically, trying to stifle the blush.

"Yeah, you know who I mean, that boy named Arnold!"

"Now, I wouldn't exactly call him a heartthrob, but there's just something about that little football shaped head of his that makes him so adorable, and you can tell he always looks on the bright side. The naivete is cute. I bet that's why you like him, right? Right?" Penelope got more enthusiastic.

"Well...I uh..." Her face was reddening.

"But the real question is, is he..." Henry trailed off, keeping everyone in suspense.

"Nothing dirty, Henry!" Penelope glared at him, making Helga turn beet red.

"He's what, 12? 13? He can't be yet. _You_ have the dirty mind here." He teased his wife. "I was gonna ask, is he good on dates? Does he know what he's doing when he takes a lady out or is he one of those helpless saps that go 'I don't know, where do _you_ want to go?' That's all."

"Uh...uh..."

"Wow, she sure is nervous when we talk about him." Cecily said nonchalantly. "Maybe this Arnold boy is more than he appears."

"Oh...look at that...uh..." Helga stammered.

"What...kind of dates are you two going on, honey?" Miriam ventured cautiously.

Helga's eyes opened wide and then she glowered. "NO ONE ASKED YOU, MIRIAM!"

This stunned the room to silence, but Helga, not wanting Cecily, Penelope, and Henry to stare at her in the way they were doing right then, tried to find a way out of the awkwardness she'd just made.

"Uh...Henry...there's about to be an ESPN 24/7 special on the Hawk vs. Takamura fight! Let's watch it!" She blurted, rushing to the TV.

"OK..." Henry said with an incredulous expression as she turned the TV on and thumbed through the channels on the remote.

"Oh...well...there's no better time to continue unpacking our things than now, right? Let's go, Cecily."

The two women retreated upstairs, though Cecily softly stared at Miriam as they left.

"_The champion has reason to be confident._" The television blared as Helga got settled in. "_Forced to survive in the slums of New York, Bryan Hawk has seamlessly transferred those killer instincts to the ring, and under the guidance of the world famous trainer Miguel Zale, he accrued an undefeated record all the way to the Junior Middleweight Championship of the World._"

"_This is just a waste of my time, but I do love the sight of blood!_" A tanned man with blond hair, a white jacket, purple shirt, and two buxom women on either arm laughed maniacally. "_Beating up my opponents, making them bleed...it's like sex to me! And then I get to have sex after the match! I'll squash that bug, spread my seed to the women of his country, and then take the belt back to America where it belongs!_"

"What an asshole!" Helga growled.

"Let the punk keep talking." Henry grinned confidently.

"_The champion believes that he's the future of the division and he doesn't feel threatened. However...two nights from now, he'll be on enemy turf, where he'll be facing an opponent who has also never been beaten. The former Japanese national middleweight champion, Mamoru Takamura, with 16 consecutive knockouts behind him, is ready, and if he has anything to say about it, his opponent will choke on his first defense._"

"_I've beaten a bear._" A man in a dark suit with a pompadour hairdo declared. He was calm and still, almost too calm. "_Bryan Hawk is a step down. I'll beat him by KO and take his belt. That's all._"

"_A new, undefeated champion looking to make his mark...in more ways than one. An undefeated challenger with the hopes and dreams of an entire country behind him. This is ESPN 24/7: The Battle of Hawk._"

"You look as confident as he does." Helga said to Henry, who stood behind the couch.

"I have my reasons, but I'll wait until tomorrow's dinner to talk about them, so Louis can hear."

"Surely you don't want that asshole to retain!"

"No. That's why I'm confident."

Helga was just about to ask a question when an unwelcome voice interrupted.

"Interesting... so this is that big boxing match you're so excited about?"

"Haven't you gone away by now, Miriam! No one invited you to watch this with us!" Helga turned around and glared.

Miriam's expression suddenly saddened. Henry walked over and looked her calmly, signaling for her to follow him into the foyer.

"I...don't mean to intrude. I don't know a whole lot...really." He said softly as they left the living room. "I know you guys have some history you might want to go over, and I hope you can work it out, but...now...just doesn't look like the time."

Henry walked back into the living room and sat beside Helga, who beamed up at him. Miriam's eyes drooped downward again.


	8. Dinnertime Disaster

"Man, those Egyptians were something else." Louis smirked, the light from the TV flickering in his face. Do you really think that Amenemhab guy could have cut that elephant's truck off and stopped it from charging?

"There were elephants in that area at the time." Henry replied. "So it _could_ have happened. My guess is that _if_ it did happen, he had some help, but if you supposedly saved the life of your pharaoh, much less the mightiest of mighty pharaohs, Thutmose III, from a charging elephant, you aren't gonna mention the help in your own tomb. Why share the glory? Accurate after action reports are not required in your 'House of Eternity,' after all."

The two brothers shared a laugh next to each other on the couch, in darkness but for the TV. The clock on the cable box read 1:30 A.M.

"It's good to have you here, man, you know I worry about you."

"Nothin' much to worry about this year. It'll probably be quiet next year too, at least at first. Make sure Olga rubs off on you in the right way, and you know what I mean, as opposed to the wrong one." Henry lightly punched his brother's shoulder.

"Speaking of, I really wish you hadn't have teased Helga about Arnold while we were out. She doesn't like people prying on her relationship."

"Well, she better get used to it. I'm sure she's bringing him to the wedding, after all."

"Yeah, but she's still only 12. She has a lot of feelings to sort out."

"Yeah, you're right. I should have stopped mom and Penelope. Still, Helga seems more uptight than normal. I know she can be prickly, but even for her, she's more defensive than usual."

Louis sighed. "Recall that 'normal' for you is her being tame. You should have seen her when I first met her. There are reasons for it. Miriam is a big one."

"Yeah, I noticed. Miriam asked a simple question about the Hawk vs. Takamura special on ESPN earlier tonight. Helga would have nothing to do with it and basically forced me to escort her out of the room. Before that, she didn't even remember that Miriam was in the house when we were ordering food. Mom of all people had to remind her."

Louis sighed again. "And you know the worst thing? I can't blame her one bit. You should have seen that house, Henry. You would have been even more pissed off than I was. I wouldn't even be surprised if Helga is taking pleasure in ignoring Miriam and giving her hell, now that the tables have finally turned."

"How's Olga holding up? I know she invited her here, but it isn't like she's immune, either. Don't act like you weren't calling me in a fit and asking for advice after your relationship got serious and you started putting the pieces of her home life together."

"Eh..." He grunted. "...It isn't like this is easy for Olga. It does bring back painful memories, and she's again taking on a burden for her family by trying to help her mom get better. She won't talk about it, but she's definitely feeling the weight. Still, Olga's a grown adult who has her life together now. She'll be OK. Helga's the one I'm worried about."

"Yeah, I imagine. And if Miriam really was that heavily on the bottle, well...we know that too much stress can stop an effort at recovery cold. Helga doesn't need to be adding any."

"That's why I'm not sure what I should do. I know I'm gonna have to put my foot down at some point, but then Helga will feel like I'm taking Miriam's side over hers, when I promised I wouldn't. She's had so many people let her down in her life. If she thinks I'm letting her down, me of all people, the one that got her out of that mess, I don't know how she'd take it."

"Don't doubt yourself." Henry responded. "You know, I was never prouder of you than after you told me about what happened back there two years ago, the way you got the two of them out of that situation. If Penelope's father treated her in the same way that blowhard treated Olga, I'm not sure I would have been so restrained. You played chess with him and checkmated him while he thought the game was solitaire because he couldn't pay attention to anything but himself."

This made Louis laugh out loud. "Go on."

"In every man's life there are a few decisive moments that define who he is. If he slithers off like a slug, it's a reversion that signals the death of him as a figure worthy of glory and respect - at least for a long time. If he fails, he won't reach his potential. If he succeeds, he's proven himself an admirable figure, worthy of the rewards he's going to get. For Thutmose III, that big moment was what we just saw on TV, him taking that great risk and marching through that narrow pass at the head of his army to Megiddo to surprise the enemy. My big moment was when I didn't ring that bell during Hell Week. That one was yours and you passed with flying colors."

"That means a lot, thanks." Louis smiled.

"If you passed a moment like that, you'll find a solution for this. Sometimes, you just can't know exactly what it is. You need to let the situation develop and act when you have the opportunity. You'll figure it out. That doesn't mean there won't be bumps along the way, though. If you're prepared for chaos, and know that even your best laid plans won't go smoothly, you'll more capable of dealing with it. Obviously, I've experienced this with the SEAL Teams, but did you know it was dad who first taught it to me?"

"No." Louis shook his head.

"I understand - you were too young to remember. Dad took us to play miniature golf and we both kept missing every shot we took. Both of us got pissed off and started throwing tantrums. Dad just stood there - looking a lot like you do now, actually. That black hair of his glinting in the sun was unmistakable. Anyway, dad just looked bored. We couldn't get anything out of him. He just blankly said to us: 'You're mad because it's not fair, is it? Tough luck. The world will laugh at you and wreck what you wanted to do. So, are you gonna cry about it and fail, or will you get up and find ways to improve your chances to succeed? Remember, boys, it's the people that can suffer the most unfairness, and then change themselves to meet it, that do the best with themselves.' I might have been only 8 at the time, but it was something I always remembered. Those words stuck to me like glue during the hell that BUD/S training put me through."

"Too bad I don't remember. It would have meant more hearing it from him."

"Yeah. Dad got sick not long after that..."

The two brothers drooped their heads. The noise coming from the TV dulled in their ears.

"...Anyway..." Henry continued. "Just keep it mind. You didn't ask for this, but it's here. I don't think I need to remind you, but remember dad's words. Don't let the situation overwhelm you. You've had it under control until now. Think about how you can leverage your skills to deal with it, and action itself will take care of the rest. All you can do is have faith in yourself and your skills, and if there's anything you're good at, it's dealing with and persuading people."

* * *

After grabbing her food, Helga took a seat to the right of Louis, who sat at the head of dining room table. Olga, who sat at the other head, had prepared a full course Italian dinner for the now-crowded house.

"So..." Cecily, who sat to Louis' left, began. "...What do we want to talk about? The baby? The wedding? Anything at work? Henry's imminent promotion to lieutenant commander?"

"Eh...I'm not entirely enthusiastic about it." Henry replied. "It means I'll be spending more time with the brass and less with my brothers."

"Well your wife and your blood brother and your mother will feel much more at ease." Penelope responded.

Henry shrugged. "Eh, guess so." He smirked.

"Aw come on, mom. It's not like we haven't discussed those ad nauseum." Louis replied. "I can think of something to talk about..." He shot a knowing glance to Henry and then Helga.

"The fight!" All three chimed at once.

Olga and Penelope groaned.

"I'm so excited!" Helga squealed. "Tomorrow's the big night! Can you believe how much of a jerk Hawk was at the press conference today?! First he harasses Mari Iimura, then he punches Takamura, and then hits his trainer!"

Louis chuckled.

"And you actually found it funny!"

"Well, I can appreciate it from the business side." He replied. "Say what you want about Bryan Hawk, but he's doing a masterful job of playing the heel. You want to see him get beat up, so you want to watch his match, which means a bigger purse for him at the end of the day. It's just like what the bad guys are supposed to do in Wrestle-Mania to draw in fans. Truthfully, he's probably not smart enough to realize this, but I can appreciate it nevertheless."

"Takamura looked good, at least." Helga grumbled. "Let's just hope he makes good on his word of knocking that bum out."

"I think he will." Henry declared before taking a bite of the eggplant parmigiana on his plate. "And before I'm forced to explain myself, I want to say that this is great, Olga." He gave her a thumbs-up. "It always is a pleasure to eat one of your meals. I'm jealous that my brother gets to do it every day."

"Thank you." Olga replied, her eyes sparkling. "So...do you want to say anything else?"

'Nice try, Olga." Louis countered. "So you really think Takamura's gonna knock Hawk out? Really?"

"I get that he's had to cut like hell. That's gonna take a lot out of him." Henry replied. "But you know, when I was stationed in Okinawa earlier this year, I met this guy, Jason Ozuma. Good dude...for an army guy, that is." He smirked. "Anyway, believe it or not, Ozuma was Ippo Makunouchi's first opponent in that rookie of the year tournament he eventually won. So Ozuma has a line into the Kamogawa Gym, because he talks to Makunouchi every now and then. According to him, Takamura's been so pissed off during the cutting process that he's got nothing on his mind but killing Hawk for forcing him to go through it. So while Hawk's farting around and cavorting with women, Takamura's sole focus is ripping Hawk's head off. When I see that, I see someone with a killer instinct going up against someone that doesn't have it, despite his pretensions. Maybe Hawk's background and style can fool most people into believing he has the killer instinct, but not someone of my background. I know what it actually looks like, because I've been there before. I know what it's like to have your body scream out in pain, but you've got nothing on your mind except victory or falling where you stand. Trust me, Takamura's gonna take Hawk completely by surprise in this fight. He's gonna find a way and the punk won't know what hit him."

"Wow. I hope you're right!" Helga answered. "That would be awesome!"

"When have I ever been wrong?" He grinned.

"What I don't understand is how he lost all that weight..." Helga pondered. "I mean, it's not like the guy had a lot of fat on him."

"Well, he still could have lost a few pounds of fat. For example, Louis, how much do you weigh?" Henry shot a sarcastic glance.

"Henry!" Louis mocked in a high pitched voice, with a girly expression. "About 180, 185." He replied after the table shared a laugh.

"Yeah, I'm about the same. And I imagine you're at 8% body fat?"

"Around there."

"So you see, Helga, on Louis and myself, that would be between 14 and 15 pounds of fat still. And remember that Takamura is naturally heavier than us. So we would still be able to cut about 10 of those pounds, Takamura maybe more. Of course, if you cut those, then you'd be getting into your essential body fat, so Takamura definitely wouldn't want to be there for any longer than the day of the fight, because that's the fat your body's organs need to function properly."

"Like what kind of function?" She asked curiously.

"Your body needs a certain amount of fat to absorb nutrients, protect the nerves, build tissue, you know." Penelope said before biting into the orecchiette on the side of her chicken parmigiana. "Obviously, if you cut into that, your body will be in trouble. For men, that level is about 3 to 4% body fat, and us gals need about 11 to 12%."

"So what other weight could he possibly lose besides some marginal fat?"

"A lot of it would have been water weight." Penelope answered. "Over half of our body weight is water. Of course, a lot of that is vital, but some of it isn't. I just hope he didn't dehydrate himself to a dangerous level. I've treated people who've gone on irresponsible crash diets for that. He was probably so dehydrated that his nerve endings felt exposed because of how worn away he was during the cutting. He was also probably thinking about water so much that he couldn't sleep, which makes it even worse."

"When you put it that way, I'm surprised he'd be in any condition to fight." Helga replied.

"Trust me, I've seen people fight - and fight hard - in way worse shape." Henry answered. "Of course, most of the time they were so screwed up on drugs that they couldn't tell the difference, but that's the entire point. One of the things I learned during my SEAL training was that the body can take almost anything - a lot more than you think. The mind is your biggest enemy. One of the instructors made sure this was drilled into my skull. If it wasn't, I never would have made it. You never do unless you get that."

"But still, that's why I find it hard to imagine Takamura will win." Louis interjected. "If he had more time, maybe, but he's only had two months to get used to all this. That's gonna screw with his conditioning."

"Well, it isn't like he hasn't been training to condition his body for the new weight." Penelope replied. "That would make a difference. Still, I'm inclined to agree with you. Henry's explanations are rather strange."

"That's because you're biased to measuring things in your line of work. What I'm talking about can't be measured, because it's a feeling, a psychology that lingers over the battle space that you can't see, but you know it's there, and when it strikes, it strikes like a thunderbolt and changes things in an instant, and I'm not alone. Napoleon himself said it was three times as important as physical factors. Having been there, I agree with him."

"Henry, you've been a lot of places, but I don't think you were there with Napoleon." Cecily joked, making the table erupt in laughter.

"Well if I was, he might have won the Battle of Waterloo."

Louis laughed as Cecily rolled her eyes. "What do you think, mom?"

"I think...well, nothing about the fight itself, but I agree with what you said earlier about Hawk's behavior. It made me want to see him get beat up and I couldn't care less about the fight. Characters like him make for better television. Every program needs a good villain. If they had put me in charge of producing that fight, I'd be smiling right now, and I'd want him to do even more press conferences and public appearances to show his grating personality."

"Stick to sitcoms and documentaries, mom." Louis challenged. "I just don't see you producing a boxing pay per view."

She narrowed her eyes and smirked. "Oh yeah? I'd jump at the chance just to prove you wrong."

"Think you'll be needing music for your production, Cecily?" Olga challenged.

"Since when do boxing shows use classical music?" Louis challenged back.

"...Anyway, back to what we were saying before, Takamura's gonna have to get tired before Hawk does. There's just no getting around that. Cutting all that water weight will take a lot out of him." Penelope said.

"Agreed, but my prediction stands. Of course, the earlier he gets it done, the better, but if it goes deep, he'll have the killer instinct and morale to fight in the deep water. Trust me, Hawk won't think he'll have it." Henry replied.

"Penelope, since when were you so interested in the fight?" Helga lightly taunted.

"Well...we're talking medicine, anatomy, and physiology, that's my field. Much like Cecily and Olga, I could care less about the actual fight itself. But, hey, we're having more fun discussing this as a family than I thought we'd have. Isn't that what Christmas is supposed to be about? Why take away from it?"

Everyone at the table smiled at teach other for a moment before Helga spoke.

"Hey! All this actually reminds me! I have a biology report to do over the break. I could do mine about this! I could use the _Monthly Boxing Fan_ and I could ask you guys about the biological aspects of the training and conditioning Takamura did for the fight - the weight loss, that stuff you said about body fat and water, all of it! Will you help me?"

"Eh? OK." Henry shrugged.

"Sure. We'd be happy to."

"Helga?"

She nearly jumped out of her seat as the table fell silent. Helga looked to her right to see her mother there, across a sizable gap, sitting to Olga's left.

"What?!" She growled involuntarily.

"If you're doing a report about athletic conditioning and what its relationship to the body, I think I might be able to help, too."

Helga snickered, her lips curling up to reveal her fangs. "What would you know, Miriam?! Penelope's a nurse. Henry's a Navy SEAL, so he's basically a professional athlete himself. What could you possibly add to it that they can't? I don't want to do my report about the effects of alcohol on the body, though if I had to talk about brain and liver damage that 'smoothies' can do over time, you'd be the queen, wouldn't you? Or maybe we could talk about how alcohol gets so addictive that it takes over your life and puts you in a position to forget your own children? You'd know a lot about that, too, right?! Or would you prefer to make a smoothie right now instead of helping in that report?"

Olga gasped. Henry, Penelope, and Cecily stared at her, wide-eyed.

Miriam's jaw dropped. She was suddenly conscious of the rest of the table besides Olga, these strangers who her daughter was evidently closer to and trusted more than her own mother. It was a visual reminder of her failure - that was the word - in everything, except making smoothies, that was. Helga had bitterly reminded her of the one thing she'd been great at. That was why she was even here to begin with, after all, drinking water while everyone else but Helga and Penelope was drinking wine, yet another reminder of how haphazardly she fit in at this table, and her own irresponsibility. Could she really blame Helga for acting this way?

No.

Tears suddenly welled up in her eyes at the realization, which finally overcame the denial she'd been in before and now recognized, a feeling she'd hoped her daughters would share, but obviously, they didn't, especially Helga.

She pushed herself away from the table and rushed from the room, sulking. Olga gasped again, while the rest of the table was still awkwardly silent, looking at Helga, then at the threshold, where Miriam just rushed from. Cecily's face grimaced. Wordlessly, but calmly, she got up and left. Helga leaned back in her chair, arms folded across her chest, suddenly feeling self-aware, as if she were turning off her autopilot program. That self-awareness crystallized when she turned to Louis, who's eyes burned green fire into her, but were still visibly calm and composed. His firm, but booming voice lent finality to the situation:

"Helga. Office. Now."


	9. Twin Fates

Helga frowned and crossed her arms over her chest again, sitting in a chair across from Louis' desk. The lights were out. Louis didn't turn them on as he headed over to his chair. Only the moonlight illuminated the home office. The tall bookcases and Louis' computer cast eerie shadows, but Helga glared through them. Olga cautiously shut the door and sat on the corner of the desk, as Louis regally took the big leather swivel armchair behind it.

"I know, I know." Helga asked as she looked into his eyes. "You're gonna ask me to explain myself."

"No. I know exactly why you're pissed off. That doesn't mean what you've been doing is right."

"Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey! She's allowed to be here - the two of _you_ have made that clear. That doesn't mean I have to be nice to her!"

"Come on, Helga, she's trying. If she weren't trying, I'd get it, but she is, and she's been nice to you."

"So? She'll try one second and then hit the smoothies the next. How long do you think she'll last this time?"

"Helga!" Olga scolded. "Helga, mommy made mistakes but..."

"Mistakes would be an understatement!"

"But she really wants to make amends! When she first came here, she was overwhelmed by guilt about us being happier without her than we were at home."

"Well, we were! And now you want to ruin that?! Maybe it's just me, but I don't forget things so easily, because I'm not naive! I know what happens when Miriam tries to 'make amends.' How long do you think she'll last this time, seriously?"

"Helga...it's not like I've forgotten _anything_, but if we don't help our own mother, who else will? You weren't at the hospital. You didn't see how bad it was."

"Well, I don't care!" She blurted and turned her head away, her arms still crossed.

"Oh? Do you want to see your mother die? We might as well get that out there right now. You know that stress can put her right back on the bottle, right? _You_ said she won't last long - well, she might not last long precisely because of _you_. And you know what happened the last time she drank. Want her to do that again?" Louis asked.

Helga's frown deepened. "Who cares? It's not like she wasn't doing it day in and day out to the point where she was so plastered, I had to walk to preschool alone. What's the difference now? So I'll be without a 'mother' in name only. Cecily can take up the role. She's done more in a year and a half than Miriam did in 10, and it isn't like I see her every day!"

He rubbed his forehead. "There's just one problem, Helga. Cecily is my mother, not yours, no matter how much you try to fight it. And I know you don't mean what you're saying. I know you. You're tough, but you're not a monster."

The frown lightened.

"And besides, if you really think that highly of my mother, I really don't think you want to embarrass yourself _and me_ in front of her."

"...Embarrass you?"

"That's right, Helga. This is, after all, my house. Everything that goes on in here is a reflection of your sister and I. I know you and Olga had a hard time before, and that's because it was a reflection of your old home, wasn't it? So out of respect for _me_, at least, especially in front of my family, cool it. I'm not saying you have to be nice to Miriam, but don't be cruel to her when she's trying. I know you don't want her to relapse, no matter what you might say. Otherwise, you wouldn't be objecting to her presence so strongly."

"Whose side are you on, anyway?" She grumbled.

"I'm on your side, Helga, but there's no need for me to fire on someone that isn't the enemy, is there?"

"Well, she was always the enemy to me!"

"Helga, you know that mommy...wasn't always aware of the ways which she hurt us, because she was hurting herself...she really was." Olga cried. "You weren't around when I was smaller. She's a lot more capable than you might remember. It's just...the constant fighting and the environment gradually wore her away and away... Helga, you took the leap and put some faith in me two years ago. I'm now asking you to at least put enough faith in mommy to not be mean to her, if nothing else. It's not going to be easy. She might well screw up again, but as I said, if we aren't there for her, who will be?"

"It's like I was saying to you before, Helga." Louis continued. "Remember you were even hostile to me when we first met? You thought I was just an extension of a 'perfect' sister you found so overbearing? Well, I think we've proven those impressions wrong these last two years. Give your mother that same chance. Again, you don't need to be nice to her, but at least try not to be mean. Who knows? You might even wind up being surprised, like we surprised you. I just don't want you to be responsible for any relapses. Surely you don't want to think you've driven her back to the bottle? Because that's what you might just wind up doing. I know you. You don't want to live with that guilty conscience."

"Well, maybe if she actually loved me instead of her smoothies, I wouldn't be acting this way. Did you think of that? But fine, out of respect for the two of you at least, I'll back off a little."

"Thank you, Helga, and sometimes, people love you, but just can't find the best way to show it. They're confused, or in turmoil, and need help sorting themselves out before they can express themselves properly. I hope you'll understand that someday."

* * *

Miriam sat in a fetal position against the wall on the roof. Christmas lights blared rainbow hues all throughout Hillwood, lighting up the blackness. The roof deck of her daughter's home was no exception. Olga had made sure it sparkled. There was even a lighted display piece near the roof's edge of Santa on his sled with his reindeer.

It was bitterly cold, but that didn't bother her much, even though she wasn't wearing a coat. The biting cold was simply too far removed from her mind for her to take notice. She wasn't crying anymore, though her earlier tears had frozen to her cheeks. She just sat there, staring down at the grey granite, which was faintly lit by the Christmas lights above.

She jolted her head to the left when she heard the door creek.

"Oh, there you are! I was looking for you!"

Cecily closed the door behind her and gasped when she saw Miriam on the granite.

"What are you doing up here?" Miriam asked weakly.

"I might as well ask you that same question, especially without a coat!" Cecily replied. "Anyway, I think we should get to know one another a little better. After all, our kids are about to get married...so we're going to be family whether we like it or not. We might as well try to like it."

"That's very sweet of you, but...I wouldn't even be meeting you if I hadn't nearly drunk myself to death last week. Helga's right, I shouldn't be here. It's not like I've improved any since your son took my girls out of my home."

"Well...maybe. I only know a little bit, really. But sometimes, unexpected opportunities come out of the direst circumstances. You need to decide if you want to seize them."

"How can I do that?" Miriam moped, looking at the ground again. "Everything here...and _you_...it all just...reminds me of how much I've failed. I mean, I've tried but...how can I pretend anymore? Just look at this place! Look how happy they are! Where can I possibly fit in when all I've given them is the opposite? Your son was the best thing that ever happened to both of my daughters. Look what they've gotten with him in their lives! He finally gave Olga the courage to help her sister and break free from her dad who breathed down her neck. He and Olga together gave Helga the love and confidence her dad and me failed to give her. And look at _him_ \- a successful businessman, way more than my husband, all before 30. Just seeing _you_...you, who raised him...everything he's done is a reflection of you in some way, right? Oh, and your other son? Just an Annapolis grad and a Navy SEAL, no big deal. My older daughter...she wants to help - that's just her way, but she's on her guard. My younger daughter despises me and I realize now that I can't even blame her. But they both love you, you and your family. How can I seize this moment when I'm such a screw up? I can't compare with you..."

Cecily sighed, her eyes softening.

"Now you're just being silly."

"Huh?" Miriam turned her head up at her, eyes bulging.

"Olga is a virtuoso on the piano and intellectually gifted, not to mention she's a lovely girl who's the apple of everyone's eye - but you already know that - of course you do! I couldn't be happier that she's going to be my new daughter-in-law. And Helga has all the potential in the world. She's tough and determined like Henry. She's creative and cunning like Louis. I have no doubt she can do anything she wants. And how did they get those talents? I don't suppose your girls' good qualities just fell out of the sky?"

"But...you don't understand! I've always loved my girls...but I never really helped them. Your son's entrance into their lives changed everything. I used to be able to deny it all through my 'smoothies,' but he made me realize that I didn't help them at all! I might have encouraged Olga on the piano and in her studies, but I was really just pressuring her. And Helga...I just kind of checked out at that point... I'm not like you... I just threw everything I had going for me away. I thought being a good mother would make up for it, but I couldn't do that right, either, so what do I have?"

Cecily sighed again, slowly sitting down beside her.

"Well, it's good that you're being honest about it now. That's the first step, but making unwarranted comparisons to me won't help. It wasn't all that easy for me, either."

"What are you talking about? The results speak for themselves. Look at your boys and how they love you! I don't suppose that you ever wound up in a hospital with a BAC of 0.42, either."

"Well...no." Cecily answered. "But as I said to you before, if anyone looks at your girls, they'd only ever think good things about you. No one would ever imagine what you've just said, which goes to what I hope you'll understand - people are more complicated than the best or worst parts about them. You mentioned your hospital visit, well, I had a lot of those 20 years ago. It wasn't such a smooth ride for me."

"You were sent to the hospital a lot?"

"Not me, my husband."

"Oh...I was wondering where he was..."

"I'm sure you had your problems, but I'm also pretty sure you never had to watch your husband going from the prime of his life, to suddenly getting sick, and then seeing him die in six months."

"What...? I..."

"How do you explain to an eight and a three-year-old that they're going to lose their daddy, just out of the blue? How do you take them to the hospital to see him wither away and not just break down yourself? Everything might have been OK, money wise, and my career in television was stable by that point, but I had to struggle to be a rock of stability for them. Suddenly, I had to do everything alone, and I couldn't even explain to them why. Truth be told, I'm surprised they both turned out so well. I mean, Louis took a little bit longer than Henry did, but they figured it out, and thankfully they had each other."

"I had no idea..."

"So you see? I'm not trying to compare tragedies with you. Only fools do that. What I'm trying to say is that I've experienced life's curveballs too, so don't beat yourself up because you think you need to compare yourself to me. I wouldn't wish what happened to me on anyone. Whatever happened in the past with your girls, just take comfort in the fact that they've turned out so well, anyway. Now it's on you to take responsibility and show them you want to move on from the past, no matter how painful. Like Henry and Louis, they'll figure it...and you...out. All you need to do is be there to give them good reasons."

"I'm trying...but Helga...how can I do anything when she repulses me automatically at every turn?"

Cecily sighed. "I understand...and I'll tell you what. Your biggest problem is that you seem to be coming at her too directly, which reminds her of your past and forces her to put up a wall around herself to defend from it. You need to walk beside her, rather than come straight at her. Get on her wavelength first, so that she can see a similarity between you two, and then take her to places where you can get closer."

"That...sounds like something your son would do..."

"Come on, who do you think taught him?" Cecily smiled. "Henry?" She rolled her eyes. "It's all a part of understanding your audience before you try to reach them, so you minimize any potential alienation. I wouldn't be a very good producer if I didn't know a thing or two about it, and I'll tell you exactly what you should do."

"What...?" Miriam still mumbled.

"Tomorrow night, there's that boxing match. I couldn't care less about it, but I know my boys really like it, so I try to enjoy these shows with them when I get the chance, just to be closer with them, if for no other reason. Helga's probably even more excited than they are. She's been counting down the days for months. I think you should watch with us tomorrow and show Helga that you're interested. That could open a window with her that you might not have had up to now. Enjoy the show and say something interesting about it and she'll be a lot more likely to respond positively, trust me."

"Like...what do you mean...I still find it hard to imagine..."

"Well..." Cecily beamed. "Like, remember earlier how Louis and I were talking about promotion for the event over dinner? That's where I can relate some interesting things back to myself. I don't know anything about the sport or its people, or standings, or anything like that, but I can always talk about the production and promotion aspects of these shows. Louis and I have an instant rapport with that stuff, because that's the kind of thing we both do in our careers, and Henry can relate to some of the planning and logistical aspects, as well. So, think. How can you relate to the show and say some things about it that Helga might be interested in? I don't suppose it's nothing, because you wanted to say something tonight before she rudely cut you off."

"Yeah..." Miriam pondered.

"Anyway, we really should head back inside, don't you think? It's freezing cold, and without a coat, you're asking for trouble."

Miriam smiled up and nodded at her, getting up.


	10. Fight Night Surprise

"You better watch out  
You better not cry  
You better not pout  
I'm telling you why  
Santa Claus is coming to town!"

Olga finished the medley on the piano as she, Louis, Helga, Henry, Cecily and Penelope erupted in laughter.

"OK...I think we can cross 'singing' off our list of talents!" Helga grinned. "I would've thought you'd be better at it though, Olga!"

"That's why I chose an instrument!" She countered. "Now, who wants some more eggnog?" She asked cheerily, walking toward the kitchen.

"Make me one, Olga!" Cecily giggled.

"To hell with eggnog. Go get me another beer, will you?" Louis smirked.

Olga rolled her eyes. "What about you, Henry?"

"Nah, I'm fine." He gestured with his own half-full bottle of beer.

Olga walked into the kitchen. Miriam, sitting toward the far corner of the living room, peered at her daughter taking the bottle of Captain Morgan off the counter and mixing a couple of drinks. She stared down at her own, virgin eggnog. It wasn't as good.

The soft, but loud chime of the doorbell broke her chain of thought.

"I got it." Henry replied, grabbed his beer, and went into the foyer. He opened the door and stared down at a young boy with a comically odd-shaped head.

"Uh...hi!" Arnold looked up at a man he'd never seen in person, but knew who he was.

"Are you a Christmas caroler? Because we've been singing our own songs." Henry declared with a deadpan expression.

"Wh...what?" Arnold was taken aback.

Henry broke out into laughter. "I'm just messin' with you, kid!"

"Who is that?" Louis' voice blared from inside. "Oh, Arnold. Come in, come in."

"Hello, Louis." He greeted as the man closed the door, took his coat, and hung it up in the closet.

"Helga's in the living room. I can see you've already met my brother, Henry."

"Yeah...so this is the legendary Henry, huh?" Arnold smiled up at him.

"And you must be that football-headed kid that offed La Sombra in San Lorenzo?" Henry smirked and shook his hand. "Honestly...that was reckless. You really should've called the authorities so they could send us in. My teammates and I would've dealt with him quick and sure. Still, you did a great job down there. We were after that scumbag for years."

"Thanks! And well, Helga had a lot to do with our success..."

"ARNOLD?!" Helga asked awkwardly. "I...I...wasn't expecting..."

"You 'invited' me over here to watch the match, remember?" Arnold replied calmly.

"Oh...right! I did...I did...I did!" She giggled nervously.

As they walked into the living room, Arnold kissed Helga on the cheek, making her turn beet red. She cautiously glanced at the room - the six of them were all there, giving her the most sarcastic, cheesy smiles they could, making her even more embarrassed.

"Hey, Arnold!" Olga chimed.

"Hello, Olga!"

"Arnold, this is my mother, Cecily, and sister-in-law, Penelope." Louis gestured to them.

"Hi." All three greeted each other.

"Oh...and hello Mrs. Pataki, I didn't see you there!" Arnold signaled.

"Hi." Miriam waved weakly. Helga grunted and glared at her, taking her aback, but suddenly relented, as if she remembered something. Miriam turned up to see Cecily smiling and subtly nodding her head reassuringly, which made her breathe a sigh of relief.

"So...when is this thing supposed to start?" Arnold asked.

"About an hour." Louis replied. "I'm sure you guys will find something to do until then."

"Yeah! Let's go, Arnold!"

"Hey, wait!" Arnold blurted as Helga grabbed his hand and rushed upstairs.

Olga sighed with a huge smile on her face, shaking her head slowly. "Guess I better go get started on those cookies..."

* * *

"So you see? Now I can't even tell Miriam off when she can't figure out that I want nothing to do with her. It's the worst!" Helga pouted on her bed, crossing her arms.

"What's so bad about it? Shouldn't you be happy that your mom's paying attention to you for once?"

"I...I am happy...!" Helga stammered, nervously darting her head around the room. "It's just that...it's just...I don't know...it's _Miriam_ and she's clueless again!"

"Helga...if I didn't know any better, I'd say you're afraid of success."

"Afraid of success...? Are you sure you weren't drinking a little too much of Olga's rum eggnog before I brought you up here?"

"No!" Arnold laughed. "It just seems like now Miriam really wants to improve her relationship with you. That can't be bad, right? Maybe she wasn't ready before, but why not give her a chance this time? After all, she has Louis and Olga to fall back on now, right? Are you afraid of actually changing _yourself_ to have a better relationship with her? And remember what happened after you finally let your sister in two years ago?"

"No, Arnold. The thing that bugs me is..."

"YO HELGA! IT'S STARTING!" Louis' voice blared from downstairs like a siren.

Her frown instantly dissolved in a beaming smile. "Come on, Football Head!"

"Uh...wait!" Arnold yelped as she grabbed his wrist and whisked him out of the room.

* * *

Helga raced to the couch, Arnold in tow, as blue lasers lit up the arena. Henry and Louis sat on either side of the two, at the ends of the couch.

"There's Takamura." Henry smirked.

A tall man with a black pompadour stepped through the blue light and the fog, making a show of flapping the wings attached to his robe. He jumped over the ropes, spreading the wings wide and landing in the blue corner. He raised his fist and got the audience to cheer wildly.

The lights went out. Red lasers flashed through the arena.

"And now the champion." Louis grinned.

A man with tanned skin and blond hair, wearing a cape, spiked shoulder guards, and a winged helmet appeared, serenaded by the music of _Flight of the Valkyries_. Six scantily-clad women clung to his side. They sauntered to the ring alongside him. His arms were raised as if he were already victorious.

"Ow!" Arnold yelped and frowned at Helga, who growled and glared.

"Stop looking at those girls!"

"But...how? They're on the screen!" He protested with a blush, much to Louis and Henry's laughter.

"Both of these guys know how to put on a show!" Louis grinned. "_This_ is how you draw in fans!"

"Oh yes, it's great. Great production. Look at that Hawk character coming in like he's already won. Look at Takamura standing there staring at him with murder in his eyes. It really adds to the drama!"

All four turned around to see Cecily smiling and taking one of the circular armchairs to the left of the couch, near where Henry was sitting.

"The size of the arena is perfect for those laser lights, too. They did a great job with this."

"That's interesting, Cecily." Arnold smiled. "You do something with lasers?"

"Oh, no!" She laughed. "I'm a television producer, so I can appreciate these kinds of things. I don't work with lasers, but I have worked with people that do!"

"That's cool." Arnold's smile grew. "Have you worked on Pop Daddy by any chance? That's my favorite show!"

"Er...no, but I know all the people that have!" Cecily grinned at him.

"Wow! Remind me to talk to you after this!" Arnold beamed from ear to ear, much to her laughter, as the national anthems of both men's countries started to play.

"Did this stupid thing start yet?" Penelope spat and pulled up a chair beside her husband.

"Shhh!" Henry taunted. "You're undercutting the drama!"

"I agree - it's another great technique." Cecily smirked.

"Leave them wanting it more and more until the final, cathartic release." Louis grinned in agreement.

Helga snapped her head to the right as she heard a chair being pulled up to the coffee table.

"Oh..." She crossed her arms and groaned quietly as Miriam took a seat, expressionless, simply watching what was unfolding on screen.

"Helga!" Arnold scolded in a mutter.

She also peered up at Louis, who unmistakably signaled for her to relent. She crunched over somewhat. Arnold put his hand around her shoulder to reassure her. She smiled warmly at him in appreciation. The bell ringing jolted her back to reality, instantly forcing her to focus on the television.

"And here...we...go!" Henry grinned.

The two boxers slowly circled around each other. They got closer with each step, but took their time, trying to look for an advantage.

Olga came in with a big tray full of cookies, putting it on the coffee table.

"Chocolate chip, gingerbread, oatmeal raisin, salted caramel...not bad, Olga!" Henry complimented, taking one. "Just keep it away from the vacuum cleaner before she eats them all." He grinned at Penelope, who frowned and raised a hand at him, but wound up taking two cookies instead, making him chuckle.

"So...did anything happen yet?" Olga asked, sitting in Louis' lap, putting her arms around him, and resting her head on his shoulder.

"Nope. Just started." He replied, grabbing a cookie.

"It's a much slower start than I anticipated, especially after that press conference!" Helga declared, grabbing a cookie of her own.

"Oh, but I love it! It's adding even more drama! You'd be able to hear a pin drop in there!" Cecily gushed.

Suddenly, the blond man drooped over and began undulating.

"What's he doing?" Arnold asked, flabbergasted.

"That's Hawk's attack stance." Helga replied. "Takamura's being smart to tighten his guard... Oh my...I can't take this anymore, even in here you can cut the tension with a knife!"

Suddenly, Hawk moved forward and Takamura struck with a blistering jab. Hawk ducked.

"Wow, that was a sharp left!" Louis grinned as Olga gasped. "Takamura's looking real good!"

"Maybe the cutting didn't take as much out of him as we thought?!" Helga grinned as Hawk staggered back into the corner. "Man...if that thing didn't miss...!"

"Psh. He didn't miss." Henry smirked.

"What?" Helga looked up at him.

"Watch. You're about to see." Louis smiled confidently.

Seconds later, Hawk looked up, with blood trickling down in-between his eyes.

"Oh yeah!" Helga erupted. "It landed!"

"Not bad for a graze, huh?" Louis smirked at her. "But Hawk's gonna get more aggressive now. Because now he knows that Takamura's for real. That one jab just changed the psychology of this match."

"With that in mind, there's no better time than right now for this, huh?" Henry asked, pouring the Nikka whisky into two cups. "To a new champion, eh?"

"Let's hope." Louis replied and raised his glass to meet Henry's. The brothers clinked them together over Arnold and Helga.

Miriam peered at the two glasses with the golden brown liquid, then the bigger bottle. Helga, spotting her interest, stared daggers at her. Miriam jolted her head back to the screen as Arnold frowned and elbowed Helga in the side.

"What, Football Head?" She frowned.

"Takamura's on the move!"

Helga quickly turned her head back to the screen at the sound of Louis' voice. She began beaming again, as she watched Takamura hammering Hawk with a flurry of lefts. None connected, but the assault forced the champion on the defensive and into the corner.

"You almost never see guys with hands that fast." Henry complimented. "He's obviously well-prepared, despite the cutting."

Suddenly, Takamura staggered back.

"What was that?!" Arnold yelped, confused.

Takamura threw another left, only to get hit again and sent back into the corner, suffering a flurry of hard blows from wide angles thereafter.

"Well, there it is." Henry frowned. "That's Hawk's attack style, Arnold. His team calls it 'Pure Violence.' The idea is he totally disregards boxing convention and can attack from all angles. But there is a weakness..."

Olga buried her head deeper into Louis shoulder. "I can't watch! I can't watch!" She yelped as Takamura took punch after punch.

"That guy...Takamura, right? Look at his eyes..." Penelope sighed. "They're fading. I don't think he knows where he's at."

"Look! He's starting to collapse!" Arnold pointed.

At the last second, the man in the black Pompadour, Takamura, dodged a furious right from Hawk that caved the corner in.

"Oh man...!" Helga trailed. "If that thing landed..."

Olga groaned and covered her eyes again. "I hate seeing people get hurt like this! ...Why couldn't we watch The Little Mermaid!?" She pouted.

"Because Ariel reminds Henry too much of his wife and one of those is already too many." Louis replied, much to the laughter of the whole room, even Penelope. "Now stop being such a wuss." He smirked at her. "Argh...he's gotta get out of that corner!" The smirk turned into a gritting of teeth as he looked back at the screen.

"Oh...what's he doing just standing there?!" Helga growled in frustration. Then, a hard left from Takamura sent his opponent back, even through his guard, and her mood instantly changed. "That's why they call him Japan's KO king!" Helga grinned as Takamura proceeded to land a body blow on Hawk.

"But look, Hawk's back at it again!" Arnold answered as the blond man counterattacked with another flurry of strangely-angled punches. He got in as many as he could, and Takamura staggered again, but the bell rang.

"Man...talk about being saved by the bell!" Helga sighed in relief.

"Still...no amount of strength or macho posturing is gonna save him from taking a ton of hits like that undefended." Penelope frowned. "I don't think this is gonna last much longer."

"Wrong." Henry replied. "Truth be told, that first round was Hawk's one and only chance of winning this fight. Now his cards are on the table. Takamura's gonna adapt. Hawk's problem, and the weakness I was talking about in his style, is that he relies on his unpredictability to win, but once you take that away from him, there's nothing left. That will work on most fighters, but not Takamura. He survived the initial onslaught. Now he knows what's coming - punches from odd angles. Hawk's punches themselves might still be unpredictable, but the element of surprise is gone."

Helga stared intently at the screen as the bell rang again and Takamura's fast footwork was still unable to prevent another onslaught of Hawk's wild punches.

"You sure about that?" His wife taunted.

A sudden, hard jab to Hawk's face followed her words.

"Quite." Henry smirked as the challenger now pummeled Hawk with left jabs and then threw his right.

"Man he's fast!" Helga grinned as Hawk staggered back. But suddenly, Takamura was on the canvas. "What?!" She growled.

"All it means is that Hawk's fast, too." Henry replied.

"That's the first time Takamura's been knocked down in his whole career..." Louis frowned and grabbed a chocolate chip cookie. "Are you sure the element of surprise is gone?"

At the end of another fast and furious exchange, Takamura got knocked down yet again. Helga growled, watching as Hawk, with his tongue out in a smug expression, raised his arms in triumph.

"Quite." Henry answered again with a smirk as Takamura got up at the count of eight.

"Wait!" Penelope yelped as Takamura stumbled past his opponent and to the ropes. "He might be up, but he's not fully conscious of where he is! This is dangerous!"

"Oh no!" Helga groaned.

But suddenly, Takamura dodged Hawk's punches, recovered, and threw an onslaught of left jabs which caught Hawk as he bent over backwards, sending him to the canvas. The entire room gasped.

"See?" Henry smirked and picked up a gingerbread cookie. "There you go! Now he sees through Hawk's style!"

"But how?!" Helga asked. "How could he have done all of that when he wasn't all there?!"

"It's muscle, memory, honey."

Helga turned to the right at the unexpected voice.

Miriam took one of the salted caramel cookies and continued. "That guy, Takamura...he must have thrown those punches hundreds of thousands of times. When you train to that extent, you create a strong connection between the muscle and the brain. At that point, you don't need to think anymore. Your body just knows what to do. When I was training for the Olympics, I met a lot of boxers. Most of them would spend hours upon hours for days on end just repeating one punch. Then they'd do it with another and another. So they can just throw all their punches, aware or not. Henry, I'm sure you know what I'm talking about, and not just in hand to hand combat, but in your case, diving, jumping out of planes, assembling weapons or other equipment..."

"Uh...yeah!" Henry replied, taken aback as the bell rang to end the second round. "I could do all that stuff blindfolded if I needed to."

"You see, honey?" Miriam said to Helga. "When you train your body to perform these movements so many times, it just knows. That's how he did it."

Helga looked at the TV and then back to Miriam, stunned. "So...you mean that if I were to throw old Betsy here enough times, my fist would just react automatically if it needed to respond to an emergency?"

"Yes." Miriam answered with a small smile.

"Cool!" Helga grinned evilly and turned back to the TV.

"Helga..." Arnold sighed with a smile and rolled his eyes.

"What, Football Head? Want me to try it out on _you_?" She chuckled just as evilly.

"Wait a minute." Cecily spoke. "You were training for the Olympics?"

"Oh...didn't I tell you? I used to be an Olympic class swimmer."

"That's really great!" She replied.

"Unbelievable, even." Louis answered, looking at her. "How come you didn't tell me?" He asked Olga, who shrugged back at him.

"Why am I only just hearing about this now, mommy?"

"Oh, there's lots of things I don't share about myself." Miriam dismissed.

"Well, maybe you should!" Arnold smiled at her.

"Yeah, I want to hear more about this muscle memory thing!" Helga replied.

The bell rang.

"But not now!" She jolted her head back to the TV.

Miriam looked at her daughter in shock, and then turned to Cecily, who smiled at her and made a subtle nod.

The two fighters rushed each other, exchanging punches.

"Takamura's dropped his orthodox stance." Louis observed. "He's fighting on Hawk's level. It's just a street fight in there now!"

"This is how he usually fights!" Helga squealed. "He's going all in now!"

Furious fighting developed for the next few rounds. Takamura got the upper hand, but at the start of the sixth round, he took a flurry of punches and fell again.

"As I suspected." Louis sighed. "He's gassed out. Hawk's winning the stamina battle."

"Alright, now we're in deep waters." Henry declared and grabbed an oatmeal raisin cookie. "Here's where the bum's lack of training and killer instinct is gonna come back to bite him."

"Are you seriously still on that?" Peneleope frowned. "Look at him, he's not even sweating! His trainer should throw in the towel. It's dangerous to his boxer's health! This is irresponsible! Look, his eye is swollen shut to boot! He needs hydration and rest, not to take more of those heavy punches!"

"No! No!" Helga growled.

Takamura got knocked back again, bounced off the ropes, and threw a combination that sent Hawk staggering, taking him completely by surprise.

"Told you." Henry grinned. "I know it when I see it - that guy's willing to crawl through broken glass to get at his opponent. I know exactly what it means. I wouldn't be what I am without that same drive. Look at him." Henry observed as the bell rang to end the sixth round. "He can't even tell which corner to go to and he's still fighting."

"But how's he doing it? How come he hasn't totally collapsed?" Helga asked.

"It's total instinct, honey." Miriam smiled, taking a gingerbread cookie. "When you train your body in these motions and you just clear your head of anything except winning, you'd be surprised how far it can take you, and the mind follows from there. Sometimes when I was swimming at high speed, and the lactic acid was building up in my arms and legs, and my mind was screaming for me to stop, I just surrendered to my muscles. It was like my muscles were angry that I would even think of quitting - I built them up and they were going to be used, no matter what. That's muscle memory. Your body just responds and takes your brain with you, ignoring any attempts it might have to do something else. That's what comes with serious, dedicated training."

"And we know how much Hawk hates to train." Henry winked at her. "What have I kept telling you?"

Helga turned her head back to the screen as the seventh round began. After taking a hard hit, Takamura responded with another blistering series of combinations, sending Hawk's blood all over the ring.

"GO! GO! GO!" Helga and Louis both yelled, while Olga groaned.

"Not much longer now." Henry declared. "Look at those punches. Shots to the liver, then the temple, liver again, open jaw, liver!" Henry grinned. "Compact, precise, all to vital points. Hawk definitely didn't know this was coming. He thought he could win easy, thought Takamura would gas out...he has no way to respond!"

"Oh, he thought his natural talent would carry him through?" Miriam asked.

"Yep." Henry responded.

"Oh...then he probably didn't train his body the way he should have. Look - he just keeps coming back with the same wild, but unfocused punches. Takamura can change his line of attack - different combinations to different points. Simply put, his body is way more adaptable to different situations. It clearly shows in his training. Hawk really just hasn't built up the motor functions necessary to fight at the level Takamura's currently fighting right now. That's what you get for slacking in your training."

Helga, smiling, turned from her mother and watched the television. Takamura's offense continued through the seventh and into the eighth round. One final push by the champion was countered, and a downward strike sent him to the canvas for the 10 count. A new champion was crowned.

Helga, Louis, and Henry erupted in celebration. The two brothers drank another glass of whisky.

"Oh good, it's over." Penelope muttered. "Still...much as I hate to admit it, it was a spectacle." She smirked.

Henry patted her on the head. "That's what I told you, and I'm always right." He smirked harder. They both laughed out loud, the happiness infecting them both.

"So what'd you think, Football Head?" Helga asked as she hugged Arnold. "Pretty exciting, huh? I can't believe he won!"

"Yeah, I guess so." Arnold smiled. "But don't you think there's someone you should say something to?" He gestured to Miriam.

Helga looked at him and sighed, turning toward her.

"Mom...you have to tell me more about this muscle memory and motor function stuff. I can use it for my report! That was incredible! It was like you were the only one besides Henry who could really tell what was going on in there! Even Louis got nervous but you just seemed to know!"

"Psh. My prediction of eight rounds was true...just in the opposite direction. I'll take it though. The bum got knocked out. It's all I wanted to see." He smirked. "Yeah, Miriam. You had good eyes on that match!"

"Tell us more about the Olympics, mommy!" Olga insisted.

"Yeah!" Helga grinned. "The night's still young, and there's so much to celebrate!"

Miriam looked at Cecily again, who stood there with her two jubilant sons and smiled at her again. Miriam looked shocked, but returned the smile, relieved.


	11. Getting Along?

Laughter filled the living room. It had been such a celebration last night that Helga evidently woke up late.

12:30.

"Helga!" Olga greeted. "Why were you asleep for so long?"

"I...don't know! Guess there was just too much energy to handle last night! Man, that was some fight! Wait a minute...where are you going?" She asked, watching as her sister, Louis, Henry, and Penelope were putting on their gloves, earmuffs, and coats.

"We're going out to eat, and then one of my friends is having a big time Christmas party at a hotel downtown tonight, so we're gonna hit that." Louis answered.

"Yeah, I've been looking forward to spending some time out on the town." Henry grinned. "It's a welcome thing after being on duty for so long."

"We don't get enough of these days." Penelope agreed. "It should be fun!"

"But wait, Henry, weren't you and Louis gonna go with me to the park today and work on my running and jumps?" Helga asked.

"What? Oh." He suddenly realized. "We'll do that a little later, promise."

"Yeah, we've still got a long time left left in this visit." Louis smiled.

"Now let us get to leaving!" Penelope chimed.

"See you later, Helga!" Olga waved daintily as the four walked outside.

"Great, now what am I supposed to do all day?" Helga muttered to herself.

She heard a muffled voice coming from the dining room and smiled, walking through the living room, kitchen, and into there.

"No, no, I was thinking we'd want to try something more original. Like, I'm thinking a panoramic shot on top of the heights to really give the viewer a sense of scale before..."

"Hey, Aunt Cecily! What do you say you and me go out and do some Christmas shopping?!"

"Wha?" She spun on her heels, startled, with her cell phone in her ear. She quickly put her hand on the speaker. "Oh, not today, Helga. This is a really important call, and not the last one, either."

Helga sighed as she turned away.

"No, Stanley, I'm at my son's house for the holidays. That was his fiancée's sister. Anyway, we really need to make sure the picture quality delivers. I'm the showrunner, I'll never hear the end of it if it's anything less than perfect. Tell Linda that her lighting people need to be..."

Cecily's voice grew weaker and muffled again as Helga headed back up to her room. There, she picked up the phone and dialed a number.

"Hey Football Head, what do you say you and me go out and do something?"

"_What? Oh, sorry, Helga. I'm taking a little road trip with my dad and grandpa today. I have to get ready!_"

"Aw, criminy. Well...can I come?"

"_You want to go on an outdoor trip? In the cold?_" He asked, both amused and skeptical.

"Criminy. I guess you're right. Oh well, have fun."

"_Thanks! See you!_" He hung up.

"Man! Everybody's busy!" Helga sighed and stared out the window. "Might as well work on that biology report, then..."

She walked out of her room and down the steps again, to suddenly see Miriam coming up from the basement. The two stared at each other for what seemed forever, not quite sure what they should say. Remembering what Louis and Arnold had said to her, and especially last night, she cautiously made a request.

"Miriam, I'm about to work on my biology report. Want to tell me more about the muscle memory stuff?"

"Huh?" She blurted. "Oh..." She faintly smiled. "Alright."

The two walked into the living room and sat down at the family computer in the corner of the room.

* * *

"No way! You're saying that the Olympic team accelerated your muscle memory? I thought you'd need to be at that level already just to get there?"

"Of course you need to be at a high level already, honey, but muscle memory isn't built just purely on repetition alone. How you time it matters too. When I was training for the Olympics, I would learn something and then have to act on it fast or I'd be left behind just as fast. There's no room for mistakes at that level. If you act within a few hours of learning something and keep repeating _that_, you'll retain the memory better. It was the same with Olga on the piano. She would practice a lot, sure, but she would see a complex composition and then start running with it within a few hours. She wouldn't wait until her next formal lesson. Olga was already a concert level pianist by the time she was a teenager, but her learning more and more complex pieces and then attempting to do them within hours helped. Of course...it wasn't just her own enthusiasm...there were outside pressures..."

Helga instinctively moped as Miriam's guilt came out.

"Well, thanks for all this." She countered, trying to lighten the mood. "How come you didn't actually wind up competing in the Olympics?"

"Uh, well...personal reasons."

"...Was it Bob...?"

"...Yes." She sighed. "My relationship with your father started around then and it just consumed me. It was great at the time, but not competing in the Olympics is still my biggest regret. Honey, I know you like that Arnold boy, but make sure you follow Olga's example and not mine. Don't throw away everything you have going for some guy, no matter how great he seems."

"Yeah..." She sighed, suddenly remembering a certain incident from a few years ago, before her sister met Louis. "Anyway...that should do it for this section of the report. I have to ask Henry and Penelope for their input whenever they come back. Honestly, I'm a little disappointed. I was supposed to go work on my hurdle jumps at the park with him and Louis, but they obviously had other plans."

"Hmm...wait, I know! How about I take you!"

"Huh?" Helga couldn't help but blurt.

"Oh...I know I'm not nearly in the shape those two are, but remember, I know a thing or two about training. So...what do you say?"

Silence suddenly descended on the room. The only thing that was audible was Cecily's muffled voice from the dining room.

"Uh...sure! Why not?"

* * *

"Remember, honey." Miriam said to Helga after she had returned from her latest dash over the rocks they had placed as obstacles. "It's not just how you move your legs, but how your feet come off the ground. I wasn't running track, but I met enough of those guys to know this, plus we did these exercises on the swim team to improve our leg strength."

"OK." Helga responded, putting her game face on.

She was off, trying to lift the balls of her feet up higher, then tamp them down just in time before she needed to jump the rocks.

"Good! Try getting your feet a little higher off the ground, then plant them just before you jump!"

Helga jumped over the first rock faster and further than she had before.

"Hey, mom, I'm doing it!"

Suddenly, Helga found herself tripping on the next rock and falling over.

"Ow..." She muttered as Miriam rushed over.

"Of course, some people will find that talking isn't always helpful when trying to learn something new. It shifts your attention ever so slightly."

Helga looked up. Miriam looked down. Then, suddenly, as if it was something in the wind, the two broke out into laughter.

"It's been a couple of hours. I think that might be enough for today. Plus, I have to do some Christmas shopping, _and_ I'm hungry. Why don't you come with me, mom? You'll probably spot a better gift for Olga faster than I would, anyway."

"Sure, honey." She smiled. "Tomorrow, I'm sure you'll do better with Henry and Louis watching you."

"Yeah, but I want you to come, too!"

Miriam raised her eyebrows as Helga walked past her, toward the park's exit. She smiled and followed.

* * *

**Happy Thanksgiving, everyone.**


	12. Olympus Turns to Tartarus

"These actually aren't half-bad." Cecily chuckled.

"_Beepers! Beepers! Beepers. Are. A. Girl's. Best. Whoops, somebody beeped me! Frieeeennnnnnndddddddd!_"

"Oh, really, you think so? I mean, I was only doing this for a short time..."

"Yes. The jingle was catchy. The choreography was good, too. I would have done the audio and lighting differently, but this was a good effort."

"I didn't think too much of it in hindsight, but I guess coming from you, that means something."

"Of course, and that actually makes me think. We're in Christmas fever for now, so everything's on hold, but what do you want to do next year?"

"I uh...I haven't even thought about it."

"You know, you've now shown a willingness to confront your past, right? Well, I think to make a recovery, it's important for you to get working, right? Getting out of the house would do you a world of good. And well...with these tapes, and a recommendation from me, I'm sure the local affiliate here would hire you in some capacity. So what do you say?"

"A TV station? I...uh..." Miriam stammered. "I just wouldn't..."

"Oh believe me, you would know what to do. Don't sell yourself short. I think you've been doing that for way too long. Helga certainly looks like she thought so today."

"I guess you're right." Miriam broke out into a smile. "It's about time I started taking some control isn't it? That's basically what your son said to me on my first day here - to see it as an opportunity. Still, it's taking some getting used to. I'm afraid I'll just screw up in a job."

"Everyone makes mistakes. You can't let them - or fear of them - control your future. Truth be told, I think that's one of the reasons you ended up in your situation."

"I'm still scared, though, you have no idea."

"No, I think I do, but you have to make the decision about what you want. If you want to turn the corner, you'll have to conquer your fear. Think about today with Helga. I'm sure you'd choose more of that if you could, right?"

"Yes." Miriam answered with a decisiveness that surprised her. "And I want Olga to be proud of me on her wedding day, too, just like the groom will be proud of his mom. I can't believe I was going to miss it..." She suddenly started to sniffle.

"Well, now you have the chance to put that all behind you, if you want to. You're doing great so far. So, do you want the job after the holidays?"

"..."

* * *

"Thank you, mommy. You've been very helpful." Olga said as Miriam helped her take out the silverware and prepare the table. "Things get so hectic here when Louis' family comes."

"I can see that." Miriam smiled. "But they're really great. I can see why you and Helga like them so much, which reminds me. Cecily saw a few of the tapes I produced when I took over at the emporium for your father a few years ago. Last night, she told me that she can show those to one of the Hillwood TV stations and get me a job there. I just...I'm hesitant. I haven't had a job, much less one like that, in ages. What do you think?

"Mommy, if Cecily says you can do it, she obviously knows what she's talking about."

"Yes, but I just really don't want to disappoint myself, or you and Helga, ever again. I said this to Cecily, but I want you to be proud of your mother at your wedding just like Louis will be proud of his."

Olga smiled lightly. "Then you should do it, mommy. No more holding yourself back, OK? If I can, and Helga can, you can."

Mother and daughter exchanged a hug, when another voice wafted through the room.

"Yeah, why not give it a try, mom?"

They turned around to see Helga leaning on the threshold of the dining room.

"You did well when you ran Big Bob's Beepers, and now, I don't need anyone to take care of me night and day. Why not go for it?"

Miriam looked at her younger daughter, perplexed, before smiling and nodding.

* * *

"Now let's see..." Miriam muttered to herself in an electronics store, looking through a glass display.

"Need some help, miss?"

She turned to look at an employee who came up to her.

"Oh, no, just looking for a couple of things my daughters might like."

"Ah, well, maybe if you let me know something they might be into, I could take you to something."

"OK, now let me think..." She rubbed her head. "I know! My older daughter is a pianist. I think if she had some kind of portable recording equipment to hear her playback, it could help her. I just wouldn't even know what to look for."

He smiled. "I know something that could help. You might want to try one of our directional microphones and playback recorders. If she's playing the piano, she can put the microphone on top or nearby and it will record all the audio that she can play back."

"That sounds good. Let me see."

"Right this way." He smiled and led her to an obscure corner of the store. "I'll let you take a look around. Call me if you need help!"

He left, and Miriam took a look at the various microphones in the area, but her heart soon felt like it stopped and her breath hitched in her throat when she caught a glimpse of something familiar.

"Miriam!"

She stiffened. A large man approached in her peripheral vision.

"Miriam, where've you been? I haven't been able to get in touch with you. I thought you were only staying with Olga for a few days! How is she? How's our girl?!"

"B! Well...Olga's doing fine...and Helga well...she's changed a lot...and..."

"Oh, right. The girl. Anyway, I was just here to check out the prices for some cell phones. So, when are you coming back to the beeper emporium? It's been a nightmare!"

"Well B...I uh...I'm really not sure. I...sort of like it with Olga and I might have a job ready down the line, you know?"

"A job? You?" He dismissed.

"Well...yes...I can try."

"Oh come on Miriam. I need you to come back to the emporium, not waste yourself on that nonsense!"

"It isn't nonsense, B!" She snapped back, surprising him.

He frowned. "What could you possibly do, Miriam?! I just need you to come back!"

"I can't go back B, at least not yet."

"I don't know what's gotten into your head, Miriam, but I suggest you let go of these silly ideas. You need me and I really need you to come back. You really think you can take whatever this job is on your own? You can't even organize office supplies right! Just come back!"

"NO, B!" She erupted, once again surprising herself. Now shame crept up and held her into place as she saw all the shoppers in that section of the store staring at her. "I...I can do just fine!" She turned and rushed off.

"CRIMINEY, MIRIAM! I DON'T KNOW WHAT'S GOTTEN INTO YOUR HEAD RECENTLY, BUT YOU'LL FAIL LIKE YOU ALWAYS DO AND COME CRAWLING BACK TO ME! AND I'LL LET YOU COME BECAUSE I'M SUCH A GREAT GUY!"

* * *

Bob's voice bored into her brain. It wasn't just from today. It was from all the years.

"_You'll fail like you always do!_"

And again.

"_You can't do anything right!_"

The voice got louder and louder. Miriam covered up her ears. She couldn't make it stop. The lights of Olga's home came into view. They were welcoming, but not welcoming enough to get the voice out of her head. She used the keys Olga gave her and entered. All was quiet, so there was nothing to stop the voice from yelling at her.

Then she saw it lying around as she wandered the house, straying into the dining room.

The Nikka whisky that Henry brought from Japan was there, on one of the shelves. It was like a miracle. How did it get there? Either way, she couldn't look a gift horse in the mouth. On autopilot, she grabbed the bottle, twisted the cap off, and took two big swigs. In minutes, her head felt warm, she smiled, and the voice was gone.

* * *

Olga and Helga giggled as they returned home, carrying bags.

"Mommy, is that you? Why are you just sitting there in the dark without the TV on?" Olga asked as she went into the living room. "Mommy?"

"What's going on?" Helga asked as she followed her sister.

Olga turned on the light and they both saw their mother asleep. Then, they saw the bottle of whisky on the table and gasped.

"How did this get here?!" Olga yelped.

"Wha? Wha?" Miriam came-to.

"Your voice is slurred. What were you doing, _Miriam_?" Helga growled, but her eyes were tearing up.

"Oh, honey..." She slurred. "You don't understand..."

"Oh my, your breath!" Olga yelped.

"I knew it!" Helga growled and bunched her hands into fists that shook violently at her side. "I was a fool again! I knew you'd let us down - AGAIN! Just you wait until Louis comes home! He's going to eat you alive! And I'm going to love every second of it!"

She stormed off, making sure her feet pounded the floor on the way out.

"Helga..."

"I don't blame her one bit."

Miriam now widened her eyes. _Olga_ was starting to growl through her tears.

"Honey, you don't understand...let me explain...!" She slurred as Olga silently walked out.


	13. Miriam on Trial

"Oh...this is all my fault!" Cecily groaned. "Henry said I could use the whisky to make some marinade for dinner tonight. I totally forgot how important it was to put it securely away."

"What fault is it of yours?!" Helga asked angrily. "It's all on Miriam for being such a screw up! And it's all on _you_ for bringing her here."

"What?" Olga mouthed softly, in surprise, as Helga gave her an accusatory glare.

"We were doing just fine before Miriam showed up! Then you brought here in and she can't even go a few weeks without the bottle!"

"So what do you want me to do?!" Olga hissed, surprising everyone and herself.

"Dump her back on Bob! It's not our problem! I warned you! I warned you!"

"OK, you warned me!"

"Now just hold it, you two." Penelope sighed, rubbing her temples. "Just wait until Henry and Louis get back before I have to treat you both for battle wounds."

The two sisters looked at her and stopped squabbling. Then, they all heard the door open, and their faces brightened into rays of hope. They rushed into the foyer.

"Hey all!" Henry chuckled. "You'll never guess what we just got at the..." He stopped when he saw angst etched on their faces. "Well, I'm guessing this isn't because you're anxious about what your Christmas presents might be. What's going on?"

"Louis! Thank God!" Olga ran into his arms, crying. He looked flabbergasted.

* * *

Miriam was slowly coming-to. The hangover would be bad. She heard the basement door creaking. Louis slowly walked down the stairs and Miriam's hairs stood up all over her body. She felt like a helpless zebra facing a lion, with nowhere to run. He silently sat beside her on the couch, expressing nothing, withholding everything. He didn't even look at her, just toward the wall.

"I...I..." She stammered.

"Sorry?" Louis answered monotonically. "You knew my terms. You decided to break them and bring great stress to your daughters."

"But I...let me..."

"And I told Helga you weren't the enemy. I believed in you more than she did. AND NOW YOU MADE _ME_ LOOK LIKE A DAMN FOOL!" Louis growled.

Miriam yelped. She'd never heard him raise his voice.

"If you'll just please let me explain..."

"Why should I?!" Louis chuckled haughtily. "If you care that little about your own health and daughters, why should I care about you?"

"Louis...I..."

"Don't even look at me!" He snapped back. "Why should I even get mad...?" He snickered to himself, calming down. "All I have to do is throw you out, right?"

"Louis!"

His eyes constricted for a split second before he turned to look at the top of the staircase.

"Mom...why are you standing there?"

"May I have a word with you?"

Louis rolled his eyes and walked up the steps. The march continued, up to the second floor, and into the home office, accruing stares from everyone in the house along the way.

* * *

"Alright, what's the deal, mom? This is none of your business."

"I'm just trying to make sure you do the right thing."

"So let me get this straight..." Louis snickered. "You're trying to tell me what I can or cannot do in my own house?!"

"No, I'm not saying what you _can't_ do." Cecily replied. "But you're not a cruel person. I didn't raise you to be. So I want you to think carefully before you act."

"We had an agreement. She violated it. If I don't put my foot down, she'd just take further advantage of my generosity in the future, and I'd lose face with Olga and Helga. God knows it's about time someone started looking out for them. You weren't there to see the environment they grew up in."

"No, I wasn't, but think about this for a moment - maybe that environment was just as bad for her, and even for her husband, as it was for them?"

"What are you getting at?"

"I'm saying, maybe we should let her explain what happened, and then maybe we can take a less hot-headed approach. Any decision made in the heat of emotion is probably incorrect. You know this."

Louis sighed. "Why are you doing this?"

"Because sometimes, people have more potential than it seems, but just need the right kind of support. Or need I remind you what you were like before Henry whipped you into shape?"

"..." Louis growled underneath his teeth.

"You became the man you are now because you had his support, right? And it isn't like it was easy for you. Then maybe..."

"Alright. Fine, mom. You win. We'll give her a chance to explain herself. Then we'll all decide what to do."

* * *

Getting the family together was an awkward experience. With Henry and Penelope it was easy enough, but Cecily's patient council was needed to its highest degree among the Pataki women, and Louis couldn't hide his own reluctance.

"Alright, Miriam." Louis sighed. "You have one chance. Explain yourself. You better tell us the whole truth. Then we'll all decide what to do."

"...OK." She sighed, her head drooping. "I was at Budnick's in the electronics department looking for things Olga and Helga might like and there, I ran into...Bob."

Olga gasped. "You ran into daddy?"

"Yes, completely by chance. And you know how he can get. You know it better than anyone, Olga."

Olga's head drooped and Louis rubbed her back in reassurance, knowing that this brought up painful childhood memories. Even Helga, knowing the same thing, drooped her head too, before glaring at Miriam instinctively.

"And well...I just saw the whisky and..."

"THAT'S YOUR EXCUSE?!" Helga burst out with an intense ferocity that even took her by surprise.

"I...I...don't know..."

"Helga!" Penelope scolded - another surprise.

"But Penelope..." She trailed, hurt. "We agreed that if she fell off the wagon she'd be out!"

"Helga, I know what this is like. I've treated patients for addiction." She replied, trying to assuage her. "I can't tell you how to run your own house...but I do know that most of the time, overcoming addiction isn't a straightforward process. It's really important for patients to have the right support during those low times."

Louis tapped his fingers together. "Noted." He replied grimly to the silent room.

"Miriam, this doesn't excuse your method of coping with the problem. That's what got you here in the first place." Cecily spoke. "But I think we understand more now. It should also mean that we don't cast you off where you'll inevitably just to go back to the source of the problem. Think about it, Louis, and you girls. If she doesn't get support from her own family, then who can she turn to?"

Louis grumbled. Helga outright growled.

"Mommy, I understand your impulse, but what you did really hurt us. I wish you would have thought about Helga and me more or at least told us what happened before you did what you did."

Olga's harshness was the latest surprise.

"You...you...weren't home...you know that!"

"And you couldn't have waited for us?!" Olga snapped back.

"Honey...you just don't understand...! I heard his loud voice, over and over, and over..."

Olga sighed, relenting. "I remember what that was like..."

"Just listen to you, Olga!" Helga screamed. "She promised you that she was going to change and at the first sign of trouble, she just goes right back to the bottle! That was part of the old life Louis got us away from, remember?! Louis, if you don't make good on your word, I don't know what we'll do..." Helga began to tear up.

A chill went down Miriam's spine. She knew she was teetering. Helga wanted her gone. Even Olga might agree. And if Olga agreed, what would stop Louis from kicking her out? Cecily and Penelope didn't live in the house, after all.

Suddenly, Henry rose to speak, and all went silent again. Miriam understood what everyone else did, even if she didn't know Henry that well. Because of how much Louis respected and adored Henry, it was obvious that his opinion would carry the most weight, especially since the scales were now slightly tipping against her. It wouldn't take much to tip them past the edge. On the other hand, they weren't so far from reach that Henry couldn't still tip them back in her favor.

Her fate was in his hands.

"In my line of work, we don't leave room for mistakes or quitters." He explained. "In training, you ring the bell and it's over. You decided to quit. If you decide to quit elsewhere, or make a mistake in the field, it's much worse than that. You're dead. One mistake, one quitter, doesn't just affect you, it affects your entire team."

Helga was nodding furiously.

"But..." Henry looked at her and trailed off. "Not everything is like that. The reason we go to such trouble and commit to such a lifestyle is so that our loved ones and our countrymen don't have to. If one mistake were to doom everyone at home, much less those suffering from some kind of addiction, this country would be a dark place indeed - and we would create that disaster on our own accord. I don't think we need to do that here. Penelope and mom are right about how this goes. Proper support through the hard times is essential. And it's the same way in my world, too. Nobody does anything without help."

Miriam stiffened when he suddenly turned to her.

"Miriam, I trust that this experience has been a wake up call for you. While I don't think you should be ruined for one mistake, I'm sure you understand that you can't expect to keep making them and still retain favor. This better scare you straight. That means you need to find other ways to deal with your problems and turn your life around. Seek further support. Fortunately, my mom seems to like you. I suggest you make the most of it. And it also means, Helga, that we should stay by her side as long as she _wants_ to get better, which she does, judging by how much she regrets her actions. Trust me, you can't fake that."

Olga drooped her head. "You suddenly made me feel guilty, Henry."

"Alright, you win, Henry. You can thank him and my mom for saving you, Miriam. I really did intend to throw you out, you know. I trust that in addition to your own daughters, you won't disappoint them. You owe them big time."

Miriam glanced up at Henry and drooped her head again. Helga groaned.

* * *

**Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, everyone. Just a few chapters left.**


End file.
